Top Model
by Bluest-of-Jayys
Summary: Mathias is an unemployed, down-on-his-luck, twenty-something guy. When what he thought was going to be a one-night stand turned out to be a modeling job with the guy of his dreams, how will his life change? DenNor, M for later. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: Down On My Luck

**AN: New story! This time it's DenNor! Eeeee~  
>First time writing a lot of these characters but I'll get the hang of it. Denmark is especially fun to figure out.<br>I chose Berg Huizinga as Netherland's "human" name. I actually have a teacher with the last name Huizinga, her family is Dutch.  
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><p><strong>1 - Down On My Luck<strong>

_Dear Mr. Køhler,_

_ Due to our circumstances, we no longer require your services. We apologize for this inconvenience and wish you the best of luck. Please vacate the premises as soon as possible._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Goldstar Electronics, Inc._

Mathias read the letter once when he got it, twice when he was packing up the contents of his cubicle into a plastic milk crate, and three more times when he was sitting in his beat-up sedan with the milk crate in the passenger seat.

He'd been fired.

He couldn't believe it.

Twenty-five and already out of a job.

Snarling, he crumpled the letter into a tight ball and tossed in with the rest of his stuff. He couldn't believe that Goldstar Electronics, the company he had so faithfully worked for since he was out of college and interned at when he was in high school, had the audacity, the effrontery, the very _balls_ to fire him after all his hard work. As he started the engine, the had urge to ram his dingy car into his boss's shiny black Mercedes. Not that it would do anything to change his situation, it would just make him feel a hell of a lot better.

But then again, so would a good beer.

Mentally kicking himself for being such a depressing pussy, he went for the beer.

**XxX**

Driving home drunk was not the safest idea in the world, but at least Mathias was able to get himself home in one piece. Not that he would have minded if he had died... Drinking always turned him into a depressing wreck of a man, and now that he had lost his job, so many of his other life tragedies had made themselves evident. He lived in a shitty apartment where he could hear his neighbors humping through the thin walls. The smell of mold came from the ceiling. He was two months behind on his rent and could barely even support himself, and now he had no source of income. Maybe going out for a beer was a bad idea.

Mathias stumbled through the door, kicking it behind him, and into his room, where he collapsed on the tiny twin bed without even bothering to take off his work clothes.

_ My life is fucking over now._

Then the fuzz seeped in from the edges of his brain, sending his conscious into blackness.

**XxX**

He awoke promptly at 6:30 AM, his alarm still set for work. He leapt out of bed, wincing at the throbbing pain in his head and was halfway to the closet to find clean clothes to dress for work when he remembered that there was no work anymore, at least for him. He was officially unemployed.

The sinking feeling of depression settled into his gut again, and combined with the royal hangover he was experiencing, forced him back into bed for more sleep.

Three hours later, he was jarred from his rest once again by a sharp rapping at his door. He straightened his clothes and raked a hand through his wild blond hair in a meager effort to appear presentable, and answered the door. Standing before him with a scowl on his face was Berg Huizinga, a tall Dutch man with a scar above his right brow and who used so much hair gel that his mousy hair literally stood on end. A lit cigarette dangled between those frowning lips, and he glared at Mathias coldly.

"Hi, Berg, I–"

"Why haven't you answered my texts?" Berg asked abruptly.

"Well, I was–"

"You drunk yourself shitless, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I did, but–"

"Did you get laid off?"

Mathias nodded slowly, eyes cast on the ground. "Yeah. I did." Solemnly, he motioned for Berg to come in and sit on the ratty couch in the main space of the apartment. Mathias himself went to the attached kitchen, separated from Berg only by a half-wall, to pour himself a bowl of cereal. "Could you not smoke when you're here?" he asked, "The Landlord keeps finding ashes in the hallway leading to my place and bitches me out for it."

Berg simply gave a grunt and stubbed out his cigarette in the ash tray on Mathias's end table as he returned to the living room with his cereal.

As strange as he was, Berg Huizinga was Mathias's best friend and had been since college. A laid-back man who smoked a lot and said very little, Mathias stuck close to him because of his alcohol tolerance and penchant for giving good advice.

"So you lost your job," Berg said bluntly.

Mathias nearly choked on his cereal. He could do without the biting honesty, though.

"Your life isn't over, Mathias," Berg continued, thumping his friend on the back. "Just get another one."

Mathias swallowed his cereal and looked at his friend. "In this economy?" he spat, "I might as well learn to fly."

"You're always irritable and closed-minded when you're hung over," Berg said, "Even if it's just a part-time job, get one. You need the money."

And then sometimes, Berg's biting honesty was just what Mathias needed.

"A little money coming in is better than no money," Berg continued.

"Okay, okay. I'll look for a job." Mathias scarfed down the rest of his cereal and plunked his bowl on the end table.

"Today?"

"Fine. Today."

**XxX**

Berg left Mathias's apartment to continue with his day, leaving his friend a copy of the local unemployment magazine. Mathias leaned back on the worn couch, flipping lazily through the magazine. None of these jobs compared to his old one, but he had to take Berg's advice if he wanted to survive.

Thus, his first day of unemployment was spent looking for a new job.

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><p><strong>AN: Unlike my last long fic, <em>Technological Romance<em>, I don't have everything written out beforehand, so updates will be slower.****  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading! 3**


	2. Chapter 2: Repeated Rejection

**2 - Repeated Rejection**

_Dear Mr. Køhler,_

_ Thank you for coming to meet us and discuss your application for the position of waiter. _

_ While we were impressed with your background and experience, we concluded that another candidate's qualifications more closely match our requirements. We sincerely regret that we cannot offer you employment with our organization at this time._

_ We appreciate your interest and the time you have invested in interviewing with the Hard Rock Cafe._

_ Yours truly,_

_ Hard Rock Cafe._

_Dear Mr. Køhler,_

_ In reply to your most recent letter, we regret to inform you that there are no open positions at our establishment._

_ We wish for your continued patronage._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Garell Bookstore_

_Dear Mr. Køhler,_

_ We apologize for any inconveniences, but there is no such position as a "human hand-dryer". _

_ With best regards,_

_ Cobalt Square Hotel_

"Dammit!" Mathias cursed, slamming his beer down on the table.

"Calm yourself." Berg warned, taking a sip of his own drink.

The two men sat in a back-alley pub they liked to frequent. The tables were always sticky and the beer was bad, but it was a place they could go to talk quietly and get smashed. Of course, Berg was paying this time, to commemorate Mathias's third mailed rejection and fifth in-person rejection in the span of a week.

"This is too much rejection in such a short time, even for you," was Berg's reasoning.

The pub was mostly empty save for Mathias and Berg, the bartender, and another lone straggler sitting across the room, his face obscured by long and wavy blond hair.

"I just can't take it anymore, Berg..." Mathias slumped down onto the table, resting his cheek against the sticky surface. "Why can't I get a job? Does God hate me or something? I bet he does." He kicked the table leg, nearly upsetting Berg's beer. "Fuck it all. Didn't we come to Germany to settle down and get money?"

"Yeah..." Berger replied hesitantly.

"Why am I unemployed and living in a shit apartment, then?"

"Patience, Mathias..." Berg muttered, his voice wavering. Mathias knew that his friend was beginning to lose faith. There really was no hope.

He felt eyes boring into him. Quickly turning around, he made eye contact with the lone stranger, a man about his age with refined features, fine stubble gracing his chin, and soft blue eyes. They held each other's attention for a split second before Mathias turned back and plopped his face down on the table once more.

Berg scooted his chair back with a loud scrape. "I need to go to the bathroom," he said, "be right back."He left before Mathias could answer, heading through the swinging doors at the back of the pub.

Mathias closed his eyes. What could he do now? If the world was going to keep rejecting a capable man such as him, was there really any hope for his employment? Was he doomed to live on the streets, debt and poverty hanging over him like a cloud?He sighed. _My life is shit. My unemployment is shit. My house is shit. This beer is shit. Everything is shit, _he thought.

"My, aren't you pretty."

A silken voice startled Mathias out of his drunken stupor. He peeled his face off the table to see the stranger standing over him. In the dim light, he could see that the man was quite well dressed and quite handsome. What was such an upscale-looking man doing in a piece-of-shit bar such as this? "He... Hello," he mumbled.

"_Très joli,_" the stranger ran a gentle finger down Mathias's cheek. "Have you ever considered modeling?"

_What a pick-up line,_ Mathias thought through the haze. Oh well. His world was ending, he might as well get laid while he still could. "Well," he leaned back in his chair and flashed his best seductive grin at the newcomer, "I've been approached by several agencies, but I turned them down."

The stranger smiled back. "I hope I can convince you to reconsider," he placed a hand on Mathias's shoulder. "My name is Francis. Francis Bonnefoy. Pleasure to meet you."

"Mathias Køhler. Likewise."

"So, are you up for it?"

Mathias glanced at the swinging doors. Berg was still in the restroom. Even for the sake of getting laid, he couldn't leave his friend.

Francis noticed Mathias's glance and squeezed his shoulder. "Ah, _je sais._ That man you came with, is he your friend?"

"Yeah. I can't just leave him... But..."

"_Eh bien,_" Francis replied, pulling a slip of cardstock out of his suit pocket. "Would you like to meet me at this address tomorrow? It's my business card. Say... Five PM?"

Mathias accepted the card. "Sounds excellent," he replied, slipping it into his shirt pocket without a glance. "I'll see you there."

Francis smiled and walked back to his own table.

**XxX**

The swinging doors opened and Berg walked back into the pub. "What took ya so long?" Mathias asked.

Berg leaned in and whispered to Mathias, "This beer is worse than I thought. Let's go."

"Sounds good," Mathias stood up. As Berg paid the tab, he snuck one last glance at Francis, still sitting alone in his corner as if nothing had happened. He would have thought the meeting was a mere drunken hallucination if not for the card in his shirt pocket, tangible proof of the feeling in his gut that something was about to change.

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><p><strong>AN:<br>Random French used:  
><strong>

**_Très joli_ - Very pretty (masc.)**

**_je sais_ - I know**

**_Eh bien_ - (In this context) Oh well**

**Sorry, no Norway yet, but don't worry, he'll be here soon. He's always fashionably late to the party. B-)  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Beautiful Man

**3 - Beautiful Man**

At 4:30 the following day, Mathias showered, dressed in his best suit, shaved, and even rubbed a bit of cologne on his neck for extra measure. Then he gathered all the change he could and walked down to the nearest bus stop.

Once on the bus, he leaned his cheek against the cool window next to his seat, remembering Francis from the night before. _I'd say he's bang-worthy attractive,_ he thought with a grin. _If my life is going down, it might as well go down with a bang._ He gave a small chuckle at his private joke when the bus pulled up at the stop where he was supposed to get off. Mathias strode off the bus, spirits lifted.

His destination was about a block down the street. Francis sat on a low stone wall in front of a large glass building, staring in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Francis!"

Francis turned at the sound of Mathias's voice. "Oh, Mathias! Here you are! And just on time!"

"Yup. Wouldn't miss this for the world."

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about this," Francis smiled. "Let's go in."

He led Mathias into the glass building behind them. Light streamed into a wood-paneled reception room, broad-leafed plants in ceramic pots soaking up the sun. Behind a large wooden desk, a bespectacled young woman sat shuffling through papers and occasionally fiddling with her computer.

"Mona," Francis called to the lady, "I'll be showing this young man around."

Mona simply gave a grunt of affirmation, tucked a loose lock of auburn hair behind her ear, and continued. Francis led Mathias out of the lobby and down a carpeted hallway.

"So, do you live here or something?" Mathias asked.

"_Quoi?_ What do you mean?" Francis replied.

"Well, didn't ya call me over to _do it_ or something?"

Francis burst out laughing. Mathias's spirits fell; it was not exactly the reaction he was hoping for.

"_Desolée, mon cher,_ but you really are dense."

"Huh?" It was Mathias's turn to be confused.

"You thought I was picking you up for sex?"

"Well, you said I was pretty..."

Francis rested a hand on Mathias's back, leading him through the glass double door at the end of the hallway. "Not that I don't find you unattractive, but trust me, this is better than sex."

_What could be better than sex?_ wondered Mathias. The glass double door led into a smaller hallway, deep in the heart of the building. _How many hallways are there in this damn building anyway?_ He frowned. His dreams of getting laid that night were gone and now he had no clue what was going on. Francis, however, didn't seem to care, he simply kept smiling and leading Mathias down these random corridors until they reached a large cement room, completely empty and void of decoration save for a couple folding chairs and a large, brightly lit area with spotlights hanging all around it. However, the room was definitely not void of people. There were photographers everywhere, surrounding and obscuring the stage. A burly blond man with his hair slicked back sat scribbling notes and chatting loudly in mixed German and Italian with two other men, brunettes in flashy suits. Other stragglers sat in folding chairs watching the scene, or wandered the room, trying to get a glimpse of what lay beyond the photographers.

"Francis, where am I?" he asked.

Francis smiled, flipping his wavy hair back. "You're at _Image,_ _mon cher._ A modeling agency. Actually, this is our personal photography studio, but you understand, yes?"

"Modeling... Agency?"

With a condescending grin, Francis gave Mathias a pat on the shoulder. "_Oui._ A modeling agency. You see, last night, I picked you up to be a model."

"I can be... A model?"

"That's what I said." Turning away from the dumbstruck Dane, Francis approached the burly blond, interrupting his shouting match with the brunette duo, and brought him over to where Mathias stood, still trying to wrap his head around the entire situation.

_Modeling. Modeling is a job. A job means getting paid. Getting paid means money. Money is good. So... Modeling is good._

A grin crept onto Mathias's face. His unemployment days were over! But before he could celebrate, Francis had returned with the burly blonde.

"See, I told you he was handsome," Francis beamed.

"You are right," came the reply. The burly blonde stuck a large hand out at Mathias. "My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt. I am the proprietor of _Image_."

_Time to turn on the charm, _Mathias thought, _I need this gig._ He shook the offered hand. "I'm Mathias Køhler, glad to meet you!" He looked around and flashed a pearly-white smile at Ludwig. "Wow, everyone here is so attractive," he complimented.

Ludwig smirked back. "Of course. It's the image of _Image_. Everyone has innate beauty and we can always bring it out." He motioned to the stage. "Actually, one of our top boys, Tino, was an average kid who came off the streets, just like you."

Mathias stood on his toes to try to peer over the crowd of people surrounding the stage.

Under the bright lights, two young men stood back-to-back, leaning on each other. A shorter man with delicate features, sandy blond hair, and soft violet eyes which seemed to take up half his round face. He was indeed cute, but the other man was the one who had caught Mathias's eye was his partner.

The other man stood straight and tall, with piercing dark blue eyes and unruly, wheat-colored hair which flopped over his face, giving him an air of stoicism and mystery to counter the other man's cheeriness.

"So who are those two?" Mathias asked.

"_Image_'s top duo," Ludwig replied with a proud smile, "Tino Väinämöinen, he's got the purple eyes, and Lukas Bondevik, standing next to him."

"I see..." Mathias trailed off.

Lukas.

There was something about him that piqued Mathias's interest. His countenance simply screamed "no-nonsense". He looked so calm and composed; a prince with a gaze of ice. Mathias thought of a story he had heard when he was younger, about a young boy who had gotten enchanted glass stuck in his eye and heart and can no longer see good, and it takes the love of his best friend, a girl very dear to him, to break the spell.

A loud cough from Ludwig snapped Mathias out of his trance. "So, um," he grunted, "I'd like it if you could start tomorrow. Lukas will train you."

It took all of Mathias's willpower to retain his composure and keep from giving Ludwig a big hug.

**XxX**

"All right, shoot's over. Tino, Lukas, thanks for all your hard work."

"Thanks for all yours," Tino replied happily, wiping sweat off his brow. He turned to Lukas. "Nice job out there, Lukas."

"You too." Lukas gave a small smile at his partner, and they bumped fists, leaving the stage as the crowd dispersed.

Mathias leapt up from his perch on one of the folded chairs and made a beeline for the two men. "Hi!" He greeted, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Hi yourself!" Tino greeted back.

"And who might you be?" Lukas regarded the newcomer with a skeptical eye.

"Mathias Køhler, former unemployed loser and newest model at _Image_!" His grin persisted. _Maybe I can win him over with humor,_ he thought.

However, only Tino laughed at his joke. "Okay, nice to meet you, former unemployed loser!" He shook Mathias's hand. "I'm Tino Väinämöinen and this is Lukas Bondevik," he grabbed Lukas's arm to keep him from sneaking away, "and we're looking forward to working with you! Right, Luke?"

Lukas cast a sidelong glance at Mathias then quickly turned away. "Yeah. Looking forward. Right. Nice to meet you." He turned back to Tino, wrestling free. "Look, Tino, I have another shoot somewhere else after this, I need to go now."

Tino shrugged and let Lukas go. They watched him leave the room, stopping only at the doorway to peep over his shoulder for a split second.

"I'm sorry... Luke's been stressed out lately. He's usually not this impolite." Tino sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "There's this contract with an international studio he's vying for, and it's really fucking up his mind..."

"No, no. It's all right." Mathias held up his hands. "Once he lands that contract, he'll be fine, right?"

"Right." Tino smiled. All of a sudden, a faint buzzing could be heard. "Whoops," Tino said, pulling his phone out of his back pocket, "Lukas wants me in the lounge. 'Right goddamn now,' he says." He blew a lock of hair out of his eyes, slightly peeved. "I guess I'll talk to you later, Mat."

"Yeah, later, Tino."

They waved their goodbyes as Francis again approached Mathias. "So what do you think, _cher_? Are you willing to become a model?"

"Hell yes." Nothing was going to stop Mathias from this gig. Absolutely nothing.

**XxX**

"I'm going to do _what_?"

Ludwig crossed his arms. "You heard me correct, Bondevik."

"Why should I? I shouldn't have to cater to the needs of some newb idiot who can't even walk straight." Lukas glared at his boss.

Ludwig glared back. Tino, summoned to the backstage lounge by Lukas's text, stood between the two men, gritting his teeth and hoping his presence could keep an all-out war from exploding.

"You will if you know what's best for you," Ludwig stated tersely, leaving. "Remember, it takes a lot to make an international modeling contract, but barely anything to break it."

The door slammed shut, leaving Lukas and Tino alone in the lounge.

**XxX**

"A toast to the end of my unemployment!"

"Cheers."

That night, Mathias met up with Berg at a slightly more upscale bar than the one they were at a couple nights before. He was going to have more than enough money soon, why not go all-out and party tonight with his best friend? He was euphoric and Berg seemed relieved; an excellent time to hit the town.

Mathias took a swig of his beer and Berg did the same. He slammed his glass on the table with a loud thud, gleefully wiping the froth off his lip with his sleeve.

"So you're a model now?" Berg asked, civilly wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Ayup, starting tomorrow!" Mathias replied, "And guess what?"

"What?"

"There's the cutest little snow prince at the agency I'm working for! His name is Lukas and he's so cool!" He grinned. "So basically, this is the best gig I could ever land. Ever."

Berg nodded. "Sounds great."

"And I'm supposed to start training under him tomorrow! It's like a fuckin' dream come true!"

Berg nodded. "Congratulations."

"Maybe I can even move out of that shit apartment, too..." Mathias leaned back in his chair, sighing contentedly. "Man, this can't get any better."

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><p><strong>AN: So yeah, I've been updating this pretty quickly because it's vacation and all. But unfortunately updates are probably going to slow, as school resumes tomorrow.<br>It's my first time writing a lot of these characters... oop. Norway is really fun to write, too.  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4: You're A Model

**4 - You're a Model**

Mathias came into the studio first thing that morning per Ludwig's request. In the lobby, chatting quietly with Mona, stood Lukas.

"Luke! I'm here!" Mathias dashed over to his coworker, waving excitedly.

Lukas turned around. "Yes. You are." He turned back to Mona, nodding. "I'll see you later, Mona." Then, without a backwards glance, he walked out of the lobby. Mathias followed at his heels.

"So, Luke, are ya gonna train me?" he asked, the cheer obnoxiously evident in his voice. Lukas did all he could to avoid eye contact with the man.

"Yes." He focused his gaze straight ahead.

"Where are we going?" asked Mathias, walking ahead to try to get a glimpse of Lukas's face.

"Studio B. It's where I'll train you." Lukas sped up.

Mathias grinned. "So... How will you be training me, eh?"

_He asks too many questions,_ Lukas ignored the lewd undertone of Mathias's suggestion and kept walking._ We're almost there. This will be over in three hours. Just another three hours._ He approached the door of studio B, opened it, and brusquely led Mathias inside. "This is where we'll be working," he said.

Mathias looked around. Lukas noted with amusement the awestruck face of his trainee. It was just another room in this big building, well-lit, bare, with windows facing the streets of Berlin, and shiny wooden floors which he could see his reflection in. It was almost a carbon copy of any other room in the building, simply with less furniture.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Mathias exclaimed.

Lukas shrugged. Each to their own. "Right," he answered tersely, "let's get started."

Mathias let out a loud whoop. Lukas groaned. This was going to be a long five hours.

**XxX**

"No, no, no." Lukas clapped his hands, the noise echoing in the empty room. "You're doing it entirely wrong. You're too stiff." Barely two hours had passed and he was already exhausted and frustrated beyond belief.

"Really?" Mathias whined, "I thought I was pretty awesome." He switched poses, sticking one leg out and flexing his biceps over his head in a horrible imitation of Johnny Bravo. "Hey, Luke, check this out. Don't I look epic?"

"No. Absolutely not," came the blunt reply.

"How about now?" Mathias switched poses again.

"No, Mathias." Lukas answered, "You are not Superman. Do what I tell you."

"C'mon, Luke. You know I look great."

Lukas stopped in his tracks and spun on his heel to face his obnoxious trainee, his features contorted in fury. "Look," he seethed, "you are quite possibly the most annoying, obnoxious, irritating man on the planet. In this universe, even. Will you stop fucking around?"

Mathias laughed.

"What's so fucking funny?" Lukas grabbed Mathias by the collar of his striped dress shirt. Mathias quieted down. Even thought Lukas was much shorter than him, he was still an intimidating character.

"Nothing," Mathias answered, a smirk remaining on his face, "It's just that you got mad at me."

"What?" Lukas's eyes narrowed, refusing to lessen his grip on Mathias's shirt.

"You're so frigid, I mean, self-control is great and all, but seriously, show us some emotion so you don't seem like a dead robot all the time."

Lukas released his trainee, dark eyes widening. "What? I... I'm not unemotional..." He quickly regained his composure, glaring daggers at the Dane. "Look. Mathias. What my feelings do is besides the point. I need this job and I need to succeed, and you are going to damn well listen to me or else."

"Or else what?" Mathias asked.

Lukas wanted to scream. Instead, he took a deep breath and answered, "Or else. Let's take a break. You stay here. Don't leave the room."

"Not even to pee?"

"Fuck no!" Lukas yelled as he stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Mathias sat down on the floor, cradling his head in his hands. _Way to go, Mat, you dickface. Way to fucking go._

**XxX**

Lukas made a beeline for the vending machine in the lounge. _Why. Why am I stuck with this... This idiot?_ he thought angrily, plunging his hand into his pocket and fishing for some change. _My career is on the line and he's..._

"Arrrgh!" Lukas jabbed a one Euro coin into the machine.

"Luke? Was that you?"

Lukas looked around. Tino lay sprawled on the couch next to the machine, closing a magazine. "Tino? What are you doing here?"

Tino sat up. "Waiting for Berwald. He's finishing up a shoot and we're going out for drinks. Want to come with?"

Lukas shook his head. "No. Can't. Training an idiot."

Tino chuckled. "Oh, is that what that noise was for?"

Lukas jabbed a combination of buttons on the vending machine, watching his snack fall into the lower compartment. "Yeah. It's tough work."

"He can't be that bad," Tino said, "I talked to him yesterday and he seemed like a nice enough guy."

Lukas snorted. "Yeah, right. If you think that way, you train him."

"Hey, that's not nice." Tino shot his friend a hard glare.

"Look, Tino, I'm on my way to becoming the world's top model, not some stupid personal trainer for an idiot who can't walk straight." He retrieved his snack from the machine. "Have fun with Berwald. I'll talk to you later." He walked off before Tino could say another word.

**XxX**

Meanwhile, Mathias stood alone in Studio B. He examined his reflection in the glass window. _Too stiff, huh_, he thought. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, angling his hips, resting a hand on one of them, the other one tangled in his wild hair. Still a little too stiff.

_What would Lukas say?_ he wondered. _Aside from blowing up. Jeez, who knew he'd react like that?_ _I was just trying to find out what made him tick._ _Maybe he's just really serious._ _I shouldn't piss him off like that._ He relaxed his shoulders, puffing out his chest. _Like this...?_

He could see the door opening in the reflection of the window. Lukas trudged back in, licking his fingers. _He must have had a snack,_ Mathias thought, holding his pose. _Maybe if I step forward like this..._

His eyes met Lukas's in the reflective surface. His trainer's eyes widened. "So, Lukas, what do you think?" Mathias asked quietly.

Lukas nodded. "Better," he muttered, "but don't bend backwards too much. Stand up straight."

Mathias adjusted his pose as Lukas directed him to. Each piece of advice was taken without complaint, each pose they practiced was done without any of Mathias's tomfoolery or assholery. The next three hours passed by quickly and quietly, and when the time was up, Lukas just had to ask what the hell was happening.

"Mathias, you've been really quiet. Not that I'm complaining, but what's going on?" He asked as they walked out of the studio.

Mathias sighed. "I was just thinking, you know, about how I was a dick to you earlier." He combed a hand through his hair. "I mean, you're taking all this time to teach me, and... Yeah. So... I'm sorry for being a dick, I guess?"

Lukas was taken aback. "You're apologizing to me?"

"Well, yeah. Because I was a dick and all." Mathias bit his lip. This apology was not going as planned.

"Oh." Came the simple reply. "Thanks. Apology accepted."

"Thanks. Aside from that dick bit, it was great working with you today." _Hey, while I'm still on his good side, why not butter him up a little._ Mathias thought. See if he could get those cute lips to give him something other than a scowl.

"You're pushing it." Lukas scowled.

"Oop, sorry." They walked outside. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Mathias said, turning to leave.

"Wait, Mathias. One more bit of advice."

"Yeah?"

Lukas smiled. It was a small smile, tinted with shades of mystery, but one that speared through Mathias's heart and made him do a double take. "Don't forget to smile," he said, "no one likes a model who frowns all the time."

And with that, he disappeared into the crowd of people on the busy Berlin street, leaving Mathias to wonder what the hell had just happened.

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><p><strong>AN: Eyyyyyy.<strong>

**Can I just say thank you for all the wonderful reviews, each time I got a new one I started waving my arms around like a crazy idiot going, "EEEEEEEEOMGOMGOMGAJFDA;SFJ I LOVE YOU" and that I think you all are awesome.**

**Also I love it when these two interact, it's the funniest stuff to write. Actually I think I adore writing Norway now and I've probably said it about a million times but ****"EEEEEEEEOMGOMGOMGAJFDA;SFJ I LOVE YOU"**. **Mathias is a fun character to write, too. Makes me wonder why I haven't written any DenNor before. **


	5. Chapter 5: What The Hell Just Happened?

**5 - What The Hell Just Happened?**

By the time Lukas was tromping up the front steps of his sizable house in the suburbs, it was already past three PM. He checked the hallway clock. His little brother Emil wouldn't be returning home for another two hours or so. He kicked off his shoes, shut the door behind him, and walked into the kitchen. He needed a snack.

To his surprise, Emil sat at the kitchen island, his class notes spread out all over the countertop, eating straight out of a bag of chips and drinking straight out of a 2-Liter bottle of soda. "Emil? What are you doing home so early?"

Lukas's little brother shrugged. "Exams are next week. All after-school sessions and clubs are canceled. Came home to study." He held out the bag of chips. "You want some?"

Lukas sighed, pushing the chips away. "Emil, you shouldn't be eating so much junk food while studying. Or at all."

Emil shrugged again. "Trying to watch your figure?"

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing." Emil put down the chips and took a good hard look at his notes. "Hey, can you help me with something?"

"Sure, what?"

Emil pointed to his notes. "Chemistry. The Electromagnetic Spectrum, really. We had a whole unit on this and it's gone over my head."

_Let's see..._ Lukas pulled up a stool next to his brother and looked over his notes. "I remember this from high school, EMR stuff."

"So can you help me?"

Lukas smiled in return. He guided Emil through several practice problems and explained his notes better. When they were done, and Emil became sick of doing and re-doing chemistry equations, they decided it was time for dinner.

Because he was working so hard, Lukas let Emil sit on the couch and watch TV while he prepared food for both of them. Besides, cooking alone gave him time to think about the day.

_While it's true that Mathias was an absolute asshole this morning, _mused Lukas as he chopped vegetables, _he... Stopped. _Recalling how compliant the Dane became, and the way he apologized at the end... He really was obnoxious, but...

_No. No._ Lukas scraped the vegetables off the board into a pot of boiling water with a sharp sound. _No buts. That man is the epitome of annoying._

"Lukas, are you all right in there?" called Emil.

"Yes, fine!" Lukas called back. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Lukas sighed and returned to his cooking. _Damn Mathias._ _But my career..._ He bit his lip, thinking of Ludwig's stern glare, _is on the line._ _Fine. Whatever. I'll bear with it._

He finished up cooking, called Emil over, and they ate together at the kitchen island.

**XxX**

After dinner, Emil went back to studying and Lukas retreated to his home office, the jeopardy of his career weighing on his mind. Mathias was going to help him make it or break it, most likely break it, and he was going to need something to fall back on. Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out a page from a magazine. He sighed and turned on his computer. He really didn't want to have to do this, but desperate times called for desperate measures, as the old proverb went.

Of course, he would still be modeling at this backup job, but it wasn't the type of modeling he was used to. No, he would be wearing much less clothing, and his body would be all over these printed, shrink-wrapped, newsstand glossies.

He opened up his email. It wasn't going to be pretty, but he needed it. Using the address from the magazine page, he sent a message to the editor of Playgay magazine. It wasn't his proudest moment, but he could do this. He was going to do this. He hit "send" just as Emil walked into the room.

"Bro, what are you doing?"

Lukas whirled to face his brother. His silhouette, illuminated by the hallway light, stood in the doorway. "It's past eleven," Emil continued, "shouldn't you be getting to bed?"

Lukas shook his head. "I'm no longer in school like you, Emil. I'm okay. You go to sleep."

Rather than leaving, Emil took a step closer. He approached Lukas's desk, then stopped short upon getting a better view of Lukas's computer screen. "Bro..." he said, "is there something you need to tell me?"

Lukas glanced back at his computer screen. The magazine's site in all of its naked glory was on the screen. _Oop,_ he thought, _forgot that was up._

"I'm here for you if you need me," said Emil.

"All right, all right. I'll tell you the truth." Lukas stood up. "Please don't judge me until I'm done."

Emil smiled. "Of course, bro."

"I'm looking for work as a model."

"I thought you were already a model?"

"Different type," said Lukas. "Trying out for a women's magazine."

Emil's eyes widened. "Why would you do that?" he asked, shocked, "Bro, you're a person, not some eye candy for girls!"

Lukas shot his younger brother a stern glare. "I thought you weren't going to judge me?" he spat. Emil fell silent. "I need this," he whispered. "Do you remember my goal?"

Emil nodded.

Lukas looked back at the computer. "I need to do whatever I can to achieve it, so I will. Do you understand?"

Emil nodded again. "Yes. But can I say something?"

"Go ahead."

"You're in over your head." Emil stated.

It was Lukas's turn to be shocked. "What... What do you mean?" he stammered, sitting back into his chair.

"Now don't get me wrong," said emil, "I think your fashion modeling is a very respectable job. It bought us this house and made you one of the most recognized faces in Germany. We're living a great life in Berlin, I'm getting good grades, and it's all thanks go you. Why would you want any more? Our life is perfect."

"Because," Lukas began, "Our life isn't perfect. There are things that we don't have that we would be able to get easily if I went international."

Emil shook his head. "Luke... Do we really need riches and fame to be happy? Don't be ridiculous."

"Stop talking," snapped Lukas, "leave me alone. I'll be an international model if I want to, it's my dream."

Emil shrugged and turned away. "Okay, but please, be careful." He left the room, leaving Lukas in the dark, barely illuminated by the light emanating from his computer screen. Lukas frowned. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and no matter what Emil said, he thought these were desperate times.

**XxX**

Mathias went home in a delighted tizzy. Lukas smiled, he couldn't believe it! It was such a cute smile, too.

Back at home, he kicked off his shoes and looked around, suddenly dissatisfied. A beautiful man such as him should not be living in this hovel.

It was decided (although, to be honest, it wasn't such a tough decision): as soon as he received his first paycheck, he was out of here and hopefully into a better apartment closer to his work. One he could be proud of and not cringe in pain whenever any of his friends came over, and where he could possibly invite a certain coworker of his to maybe have some after-work wine.

Mathias chuckled, remembering the day. It seemed Lukas was actually beginning to warm up to him. _I mean, it's only the first day of work,_ he thought happily, _maybe he likes me more than I thought..._

_I should get to know him more,_ he proposed, _see if he actually would want to come over for some after-work wine or something. _

_ This is awesome!_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: My chapter titles are literally pulled off the top of my head OTL how embarrassing. Seriously I have a chapter titled "King of Swag" but I'm going to change that because it's just... ugh. ._.<strong>

**Well, it's a beautiful, glorious, Friday night, so have another chapter. (Actually it's Saturday morning in many places, but still.)**

**Thank you for all your reviews, each of them make me emit a high-pitched, almost inhuman noise and give me a fluffy, almost inhuman feeling of warmth.  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Annoying

**6 - Annoying**

And so, Mathias's training became routine. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday he woke up, met Lukas at exactly eleven AM, separated for a quick lunch at one, then reconvened and resumed work until four in the afternoon, Mathias leaving to go home and Lukas staying around for discussions and shoots.

A couple weeks after the start of Mathias's job, he came into work one morning to find Lukas sleeping on one of the benches in the lobby.

Sunlight filtered in through the glass windows; spring was dawning on Berlin and the skies seemed brighter and bluer. The warm light cast its glow upon Lukas's face, calm and peaceful in his sleep. Mathias almost didn't want to wake him up; he was content to watch that pretty face sleep all day. Besides, Lukas would kill him either way.

He poked at the cross-shaped pin holding the man's fringe back from his face. It was starting to fall out. The miniscule movement made Lukas's eyes snap open and he bolted upright, the pin flying from his hair and skittering across the room. "Mathias?" he asked.

"Mornin', sleepy." Mathias quipped with a grin.

Lukas bopped him on the nose, the deadpan expression never leaving his face. "Quiet, stupid." His hands flew up to comb through his hair and stopped short. "Where is my pin?" He leapt to his feet, casting his eyes about the room hastily. "Where is it?"

Mathias put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, it can't have gotten far."

"Yes, but I really need that pin!" Lukas couldn't fight the panic rising in his voice.

"Is the pin really that important?" asked Mathias, confused.

"None of your business, just help me find it!" Lukas darted away, searching the area on his hands and knees. Mathias shrugged and followed suit.

_That pin is really important,_ Lukas thought, agitated. _Emil made it for me when he was in sixth grade..._ They searched for several minutes, not finding anything. Lukas grew more and more distressed. _I really need that pin!_

"Lukas, is this it?" Mathias asked. He was on his knees behind one of the massive fake plants in the lobby, admiring something in his hand. Lukas crawled over and knelt next to him.

"Yes, it is. Give it to me." He said.

Mathias returned with a cheeky grin. "Close your eyes."

Lukas frowned, but did so anyway. He felt gentle combing against the side of his head and then heard a snap as the pin was pressed into his hair. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Yup."

Lukas felt the side of his head. The pin was in place. He gave a small smile. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Mathias answered, slinging an arm around Lukas and pulling him close. Lukas visibly stiffened and shoved Mathias away, sending him crashing into the plant.

"You're pushing it," he warned.

**XxX**

Lukas and Mathias made their way to Studio B, their usual training place, in silence. Lukas glanced at his companion. Mathias was actually being silent for once, and that was cause for alarm.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Mathias returned.

"You stopped being annoying all of a sudden."

Lukas's bluntness stabbed at Mathias's heart. It was always like this, but he couldn't stop the twinge in his chest from appearing whenever Lukas so tersely dismissed his behavior. He raked a hand through his hair, looking away. "Guess I'm tired. It is morning, after all," he replied with a weak smile, "why do you ask?"

"Nothing. It's kind of nice." Said Lukas, his lips turning up in a smile so small Mathias might have imagined it.

They opened the door to Studio B, expecting it to be empty. Instead, they saw Tino being pushed up against the far wall by a taller man, hands raking across the stranger's broad back and through his choppy blond hair. Before Mathias could get a word in, Lukas shoved him hard into the hallway and closed the door behind them.

"The fuck was that about?" Mathias asked, getting up and dusting his clothes off.

"Tino and Berwald. They took our room," answered Lukas.

"Tino and who the fuck?"

"He's another model. They're together. Isn't it obvious?"

"Yeah, but... That's our room!" Mathias whined.

Lukas sighed. Mathias was back to being annoying. "You don't want to mess with either of them. Let them be. Come on, I don't think anybody is using the photography suite. We can work there." He grabbed Mathias's wrist and dragged him down the corridor.

The photography studio looked so different without crowds of people bustling about inside it. On top of that, it was completely dark. Lukas flipped on a switch, which lit up a series of pasty fluorescent lights embedded in the ceiling. He motioned for Mathias to stand on the stage.

"Remember what we learned," he said, "now pose."

Mathias stood with his legs apart, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans and lifting his shoulders in a shrug, finishing the ensemble with a cocky smile. He held the pose until Lukas's cry of, "switch!"

Quickly, he shifted stances. Lukas had stressed the importance of speed and precision, and he fell into a new pose without missing a beat. After a couple more seconds, Lukas cried out again. "Switch!"

Mathias switched poses and faced Lukas, giving the man a once-over. He seemed relaxed, undaunted by their sudden change of scenery, or having their room being used by Tino and his lover for something less-than-palatable. How anyone could be this cool was beyond him. There was something about Lukas's coolness that made his chest tighten, his stomach coil up, and his toes tense, but he couldn't quite place it. So, as Lukas directed him into pose after pose, his mind was occupied with trying to figure out just what the hell this feeling was.

"Mathias, snap out of it!" commanded Lukas, "A model has to be alert all the time. No slacking off!"

Mathias shrugged, grinned, and gave Lukas a quick salute. "Yessir!"

**XxX**

Lukas was almost impressed. It turned out Mathias had more skill than he thought. When under the spotlight, he completely changed: the annoying went off and the charm went on. God forbid he call that cocky smile "sexy". Lukas yelled out again for Mathias to change poses, rubbing his hands over his eyes. He could see his trainee's broad shoulders moving under his dress shirt, the angled hips covered by well-fitting jeans... Too bad such an amazing body had to be attached to such an annoying mouth.

The fluorescent lights were giving him a headache. _Time to take a break,_ he thought, clapping his hands. "Okay, Mathias, you can get down."

The taller man bounded off the platform, landing in front of Lukas. "How did I do, huh?" he grinned expectantly.

"Not bad," said Lukas, "you're getting there."

Mathias let out a loud whoop and threw his arms around Lukas. "It's all thanks to you, buddy," he said, squeezing him tight.

Lukas pushed him away, cringing mentally at the word "buddy." He nodded. "No problem."

"Hey, at least let me treat you to lunch or something, you must be starved!" offered Mathias. "There's this great sidewalk café down the street we can walk to."

Lukas pondered over Mathias's offer. He was indeed hungry, and free food was always good, even though it meant spending time outside of work with Mathias. He decided the pros outweighed the cons and said, "Sounds good. Lead the way."

Mathias let out another loud whoop, grabbed Lukas by the hand, and zipped out of the photography studio, barely stopping to turn the lights off.

**XxX**

"I'll have the _Eintopf_, please."

Mathias and Lukas sat at a small metal table across from each other, outdoors in the early spring air. The waitress quickly took down Mathias's order then turned to Lukas.

"_Weisse bohnensuppe,_ please." Lukas said. The waitress nodded, scribbled down Lukas's dish on her notepad, and left.

Mathias leaned back in his chair and sighed happily. _Nothing beats lunch with a cool cutie like this,_ he thought gleefully. "So, how's work?" he asked.

"It's all right," came the terse reply.

_Is that all?_ Mathias wondered, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "And...?"

Lukas simply looked at him. "That's all."

"C'mon, I work with you, can I get to know a little about your life?" pleaded Mathias, reaching over and taking Lukas's hand.

Lukas yanked his hand away. "Absolutely not," he retorted, "That's all our relationship is. We work together. That's it."

Rather than being discouraged, Mathias gave a cheeky grin. "So are you saying we're in a relationship? How forward, Luke!"

"I... Ah... We're..." Lukas scrabbled for a reply and found none. "Go fuck yourself," he hissed. "I came with you because the prospect of free food outweighed having to talk to you, you annoying, obnoxious–"

"Angry again?" Mathias's grin refused to fade.

Lukas coughed and shrank back into his seat, his face sporting a bright shade of red. He was speechless. How could one person be annoying enough to get him so emotional at a public sidewalk café, of all places?

Before he had any more time to think about it, though, the food arrived and the delicious smell of the _Weisse Bohnensuppe_ sent all the bad thoughts away. However, he refused to talk to or even look at Mathias as he ate, dismissing all of his colleague's attempts at starting a conversation with simple grunts and nods.

_He's talking less than usual,_ Mathias observed dejectedly as he sipped his stew. _Probably fucked up again._ He thought back to that morning, where by some miracle Lukas had let him replace his hair clip. That miracle was probably gone, unless...

_It wasn't a miracle at all, it was something I did,_ he realized. The sudden urge to slap himself silly rose in him. _I'm an idiot. Gotta read him better. But I can't read him if he's so emotionless..._

He bent down and silently sipped his soup.

**XxX**

_This is beyond annoying. _

Lukas glared at Mathias's hunched form. He had given up all attempts at communication and had settled for meekly sitting there, slowly eating. _What the hell is up with this guy?_ he thought, irritated. _He was nice enough this morning, finding my clip for me, but... _He scowled. _He's just so infuriating! One minute he's all right, next he's pissing me off, and then all of a sudden, he's quiet again! Make up your goddamn mind!_

They finished their lunch and Mathias paid the bill, still not talking to Lukas. They walked back to the studio in silence as well. Occasionally Lukas would glance at his face. He looked deep in thought. _But I'm not sure if he's capable of deep thought,_ Lukas joked to himself, _Probably constipated, then._

He got worried when they reached the photography studio and Mathias still hadn't said a word.

"Okay, I'll ask." Lukas said. "Why are you so silent?"

"Just thinkin'," Mathias answered, looking down. "All I ever do is piss you off. I'm trying to see if I can do something right for once."

_Well, I can't argue with that,_ he thought. "I see. Good luck," he replied crassly.

"At least I'm–" Mathias caught himself before he could finish his sentence.

"What?"

"Never mind." He looked away. If he was going to get Lukas to like him, he had to actually try and not be a dick for once. Lukas smiled knowingly, having caught on.

_ This is like the first day we worked together,_ Lukas realized idly. _He was a dick, then he apologized._ "Okay, then," he said, "back to work."

Mathias nodded and hopped back up on the stage. Just then, a twinge of pain pulsed through Lukas's temples. _I'm probably overworking myself,_ he thought, sitting down. The thought of taking a break seemed great, but he had a goal to achieve. He shrugged the thought off and continued working, directing Mathias through a series of sitting poses and advising him on how he should carry his weight when he sat. This continued peacefully until four PM without any outbursts of Mathias's stupidity, and they walked together out of the building.

"I'll see you on Friday," said Lukas, turning to leave.

"Wait, Luke."

"What is it?"

Mathias scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Do ya think ya wanna..." He took a deep breath, "have lunch again sometime?"

"That depends on whether you insist on being an asshole or not," returned Lukas.

"What if I don't?"

Lukas touched his left arm. "We'll see where that goes," he said quietly, turning away and leaving.

**XxX**

That night, Mathias had his first wet dream about Lukas.

In his dream, Lukas grabbed his left arm, pulling him into a demanding kiss, hot and passionate. Mathias had all control wrested from him (after all, he was in a dream) as this surreal dream-Lukas nipped at his neck and sucked at his dick, and Mathias woke up in the middle of the night with sweat dripping down his back and an uncomfortable wetness in his pajama pants.

After showering and changing into a clean pair of underwear, Mathias couldn't find the heart to fall asleep again. He wandered into the kitchen for a midnight bowl of cereal, eating it on the couch.

He vaguely recalled his admiration for Lukas's coolness, the same feeling which made his toes curl and his stomach do backflips.

It was shameful, but Mathias didn't think it was just admiration anymore.

_I feel like he's going to kill me if I even think this, but,_ he mused as he crunched his cereal, _Lukas is one sexy motherfucker._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <em>Eintopf<em> is a type of seafood stew and _Weisse bohnensuppe_ is a white bean soup. **

**Thank you for all the reviews and stuff, I swear, they make my day. 3 **

**I really like this AU, I should write some more stories for it. **


	7. Chapter 7: Perfection

**7 - Perfection**

About a month had passed since Mathias began his new job. It was at this point Lukas decided he was ready to stand on his own two feet and shoot a couple of pictures. It was also at this point when he decided that, despite being an annoying brute of a man, Mathias really wasn't that bad. He refused to admit it, though, and when asked by Emil or Tino or anyone else, he quickly chalked it up to being a sort of low-key variation on Stockholm Syndrome, where he had gotten so used to Mathias's boorish attitude and ill-placed jokes that it really didn't matter anymore. The most important part, however, was that it left Ludwig satisfied, which would hopefully further his career.

And then there was Mathias. He wasn't a bad guy, but...

Lukas walked through the glass doors of the building. He stopped by the lobby for a couple of minutes to chat with Mona, always the diligent secretary, and was holding up a pleasant conversation with her about the images on the backsides of the Euro coins when Mathias bounded up to them, almost knocking Lukas over with a hearty pat on the back.

"What the hell was that for, stupid?" Lukas snapped. It was early in the morning and he really did not need any of Mathias's shit.

"Just sayin' hi to my best, best, best friend!" Mathias cheered, slinging an arm around Lukas.

The shorter blonde groaned. It was way too early in the morning for anyone to be this cheerful. "Yeah, hi to you, too." _Annoying,_ Lukas added under his breath. He shrugged Mathias off as if he were rain, quickly striding down the hall to the photography studio.

Today was special. He couldn't have anyone ruin it. A friend of Ludwig's, one of the bigwigs from a studio in New York was coming to watch. Spending all that time training Mathias had hopefully put Lukas on Ludwig's good side, definitely better than Tino who spent his free time doing God-knows-what. _I work twice as hard as anyone here,_ he thought as he approached the photography studio, _I'm pretty much guaranteed for that contract. _

The makeup crew made quick work of his face backstage, sending him out with pats on the back.

Taking a deep breath and composing himself, he strode into the studio with the confidence of a top model. But his throat tightened and his pride wavered in the millisecond his knees wobbled, the American bigwig staring him down behind silver-framed glasses. _I'm under mass scrutiny,_ he thought, stepping up next to Tino on the stage, _Gotta be perfect._

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mathias quietly enter the room and blend in with the crowd of onlookers. He breathed in. _Stay calm._ _Stay calm,_ he repeated in his head. Yet that mantra was quickly replaced by his other idle thoughts.

_Is it me, or are the lights a little too bright? What the hell am I thinking, I should be used to these bright lights._ _I shouldn't squint. Dammit, my head hurts! _As a model, he couldn't do anything during picture time. No twitching to relieve the kink in his wrist. No licking his drying lips. No shielding his eyes from the burning lights.

He glanced to the side. Tino seemed perfectly composed, happy, even. He wore his trademark cute smile, shoulders thrown back in total unwavering confidence and occasionally blowing kisses at the camera. There was a goddamn American bigwig right in front of them, and Tino was dicking around and _blowing kisses._ Lukas wanted to shake his head. How could he?

The first wave of dizziness came ten minutes into the shoot. He felt the world spiral as he began to tip over, only to be propped up by a quick helping hand from Tino, who winked at him with a kind smile playing on his lips. Lukas gave a small smile back; he couldn't hate on Tino. Nobody could.

The second wave was accompanied by a throbbing headache. He began to pitch forward, thankfully catching himself in time.

The headache persisted. Lukas tried to straighten himself up, but it was no use. He toppled sideways into Tino, who quickly caught him and lowered him to the ground. The crowd was stunned.

"What's going on?"

"Did Bondevik just faint?"

"Lukas!" Mathias's cry rang out from the crowd as he leapt onto the stage. He knelt down next to Lukas, searching his face for a sign of life. Thankfully he was breathing, but hard, and his hands were cold and clammy. Nodding at Tino, the two men lifted up Lukas and carried him out of the room, photographers following.

"God damn, why won't they go away?" Tino asked Mathias as they trudged down the hall with camera lenses aimed at their backs.

"I can't take this," Mathias replied. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Will you all just show a little respect and get the fuck out of here? Luke is sick, if you're going to stay around, give a little fucking help!" he snapped.

The photographers lowered their cameras, slightly stunned at Mathias's outburst. Mathias and Tino took that opportunity to shuffle Lukas into the dressing room and lock the door behind them.

They dumped Lukas on the couch. "I'll go get the office nurse," Tino said before scrambling out the door.

He returned less than five minutes later with the nurse in tow. Mathias and Tino stood aside quietly as she checked up on him. It was a quick checkup, only a couple minutes, but each minute wondering what the hell had happened to their friend felt like forever.

Finally, the nurse finished the checkup. "He's fine," she stated, "just fatigued. This kind of stuff doesn't just happen, what has he been doing?"

Mathias shrugged. Tino shook his head. "He's been working hard lately," he said quietly, "but I didn't know it was affecting him this much." He gazed at Lukas, who lay unmoving on the couch.

"He just needs a nice, long nap and to stay off his feet for a couple days, then he'll be as right as rain." The nurse smiled and left the room.

Tino sighed and plopped into an armchair across the room. He shook his head. "This is just... I can't believe it. Lukas finally worked himself to the point of passing out," he said in disbelief.

"What do you mean by 'finally'?" asked Mathias.

"I suppose he hasn't told you about his 'dream' yet," Tino said, spitting out the word "dream" as if it were poison. "Well... He's completely consumed. He wants to be an international-grade model."

"Seems like a nice dream," Mathias said weakly.

"You don't understand. He's been damaged by it. It's like... Eating him from inside." Tino propped his elbows on the armrests, gazing at Lukas. "He has no friends outside of _Image_. Hell, he's even said bad things about me, too, and he's supposed to be my best friend. He's actually a really nice guy, but not like this..." Tino sighed, "I'm actually really worried about him. First his relationships, now his health... What's next?"

In the midst of his worried murmuring, Ludwig burst into the room. "Väinämöinen, we still need you onstage!" he barked.

Tino leapt up from his chair before casting a hesitant look at Mathias and Lukas. Mathias shook his head. "Go on," he said, "I'll take care of him. They need you out there." Tino nodded and left with Ludwig, shutting the door behind them.

Mathias sat in Tino's vacated chair. _He won't tell me anything about himself, _he mused, looking over Lukas's sleeping form. _I bet we wouldn't be here right now if he did._ _Hey, Luke, can you just give me a chance?_

**XxX**

A loud click, the sound of the door opening, roused Mathias from his sleep. He wiped the grit from his eyes to look at the newcomer, who seemed to be barely more than a kid, from the looks of his childlike face and the heavy school bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, kid, personnel only," Mathias grumbled.

"I'm here for Lukas," the kid replied, "I'm his brother, Emil."

"I didn't know Luke had a brother," muttered Mathias, shaking Lukas gently. "Luke, your brother's here for you. Wake up."

Lukas rolled over and wiggled his nose, still asleep.

"What happened to him?" asked Emil, approaching his sleeping brother.

"Fatigue," Mathias answered, "He's been hittin' it hard, apparently, according to Tino."

Unexpectedly, Emil uttered a curse before shaking his brother, yelling, "Hey! Stupid brother! Wake up!"

"Hey, what are you doing?" Mathias pulled Emil away. "He needs to get some rest!"

Emil said nothing. He simply stood there.

"Hey, kid, look at me." Mathias tilted his head so he could get a better look at Emil's face. The silver-haired boy was biting back tears, his watery eyes cast on the floor.

"I told him!" Emil cried, stamping his foot. "I told him not to overwork himself! God, he's going to work himself to death one of these days! I told him not to!"

Mathias tried to console Emil by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Kid, calm down. Your brother just needs a nap and he'll be fine."

Emil shoved Mathias away. "No, it's not! He hasn't been eating as much lately, either! Do you see how skinny he is?"

_The kid's telling the truth,_ thought Mathias solemly, glancing over at Lukas. His face was the slightest it more gaunt and his collarbone stuck out a little too much. He turned back to Emil. "Listen, squirt," he said, "go home. You've probably got school tomorrow."

Emil stopped his sniffling to retort, "what if I do?"

"Look," continued Mathias, "trust me. I'll stay here with Luke until he wakes up." He held out his pinky. "I promise. Nobody ain't touching your bro while I'm around."

Emil looked at him skeptically. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Mathias groped for an answer but drew a blank. "Uh..."

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" asked Emil.

"Mathias Køhler. Former unemployed loser and _Image_'s newest model." he smiled, "Your brother's the one who trained me."

A light lit up in Emil's eyes. "Oh, then you must be 'that annoying Mathias'! Lukas told me all about you!"

_Probably not very good things,_ Mathias thought sheepishly. "So..." he began tentatively, "can you trust me?"

Emil nodded. "I guess so. He says nice things about you." Before Mathias could question his last statement, Emil turned to leave. "However, if you even look at my brother inappropriately, I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish." Emil strode out, shutting the door behind him.

Mathias sank to the floor, leaning against the couch on which Lukas slept. "Wow, Luke. Some brother ya got there," he mumbled, "kinda reminds me of you, in a way." He twisted his body to look at Lukas, "But then again, the kid's right. You've been working hard lately. Take a break." He reached up and brushed a lock of hair from Lukas's forehead, smiling gently. "No wonder you're a model," he whispered, "so keep this model body healthy, okay?"

He turned back around, resting his back against the couch once more, chuckling. "God, I bet you can't even hear me. Guess it's fine to say this, then." He inhaled deeply. "I like you a lot, Luke. I mean, I always manage to piss you off, and I'm really sorry, but there's something about you that makes me think, 'wow, so cool!' and..." he shrugged, "I dunno. I want you to think I'm cool, too." _Sigh_. "So... Yeah. That's how I feel, in case you wanted to know," He muttered, "Your turn."

He glanced at Lukas, half-expecting a reply, but only silence echoed through the empty room.

**XxX**

Unnatural indoor light streamed into the small room via a small window perched high on the wall. Lukas's eyes fluttered open only to star at an unfamiliar ceiling. _Where am I?_ he wondered, sitting up and looking around.

He was in the backstage lounge of _Image_'s personal photography studio. The clock on the wall and the sounds of people beginning to hustle outside told him it was about nine o'clock in the morning.

_What am I still doing here?_ Lukas inquired to himself, pushing away the jacket which had been placed over him and swinging his legs off the couch.

"Oof!"

"Mathias, what are you doing here?"

Mathias stood up from his sleeping place on the floor. "What does it look like I'm doing here?" he asked, rubbing his sore back. "Damn, sleeping on floors hurts like hell..."

"Who asked you to sleep on the floor?"

"I was watching over you, what do you think?"

"Watching over me? What are you, some kind of creep?"

"Luke, you've been knocked out for over 15 hours, of course you needed someone to watch over you. Tino and I–"

"That's right!" Lukas sprang up, cutting Mathias off. "The shoot! I was shooting with Tino! What the fuck happened? Dammit, Mathias, tell me!" He clutched at the taller man's shirt.

Looking into those normally calm, disregarding indigo eyes, now hardened with imploring panic, Mathias felt like he had been shot in the stomach. He wanted to hold Lukas to him and keep holding him until he was himself again. Instead, he said, "You passed out in the middle of the shoot."

"I what?" Lukas stumbled backwards onto the couch. "No..."

"Your brother came in, too. Got real angry when he heard you'd passed out." Mathias took a seat next to Lukas. "Look, Luke. You're worrying everyone. Hell, you're endangering your own health, and it's showing on your face!"

Lukas touched his cheek gently. "Maybe I should go in for Botox..." he mumbled.

"You're twenty-four and already sexy as hell! Why the hell would you need Botox!" Mathias snapped. "Luke, you need to take a break. Go on vacation or something. Look, I'll even ask Ludwig for you if you want."

As if on cue, Ludwig walked into the room. "Bondevik," he barked, startling the two men, "how are you doing?"

Lukas looked away. "I'm fine. Fine. Nothing's wrong."

Neither Mathias nor Ludwig believed that lie for a millisecond. Ludwig shook his head. "Køhler. Take him home and see that he gets rest."

"Yes, sir." Mathias nodded and escorted Lukas away.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Woohoo long-as-ass chapter, and the return of Emil! Ooooo! (It's like a horror movie. Hetalia 2: The Return of Iceland or something like that.) I've been working on papers and homework and chemistry and handbells all weekend so I'm a little delirious. I should find some time to get more sleep and I'll stop before I ramble.<br>To everyone reading, thank you for following this story! It means a lot to me to be read and I flail in my chair whenever I get a new email from FF telling me someone reviewed, or followed, or faved. Soooo... I love you. C:  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Lean On Me

**AN: Long chapter this time, stuffed full of... Stuff.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>8 - Lean On Me<strong>

Mathias took Lukas's keys and car and drove him home. The ride into the suburbs was silent save for Lukas's sniffly snores and the occasional "turn right" or "turn onto that street."

He glanced at Lukas anxiously, dozing with his cheek pressed against the window. The younger man's earlier comment about the Botox prompted Mathias to reveal his attraction in the most uncouth way ever. _There could have been a smoother way,_ he thought, forcing down the desire to pinch himself. But, thankfully, Lukas hadn't noticed, or, unthankfully, he had and wasn't going to tell him.

_But then again,_ thought Mathias sadly, _he's not himself today._ Normal Lukas would probably have punched him in the gut for saying something like that, but this tired, beaten-down Lukas had merely looked away and mumbled something incoherent. Normal Lukas was too proud to have Mathias drive him home. Tired, beaten-down Lukas leaned against the window and halfheartedly mumbled directions to his house.

"Third one on the right," Lukas mumbled against the window as they turned onto his street. He pulled into Lukas's driveway, walked him to the door, and rang the doorbell. Nobody was home.

"Emil's at school," Lukas said quietly, unlocking the door. He let Mathias walk him into his house and help him lie on the couch.

"Do you need anything?"

Lukas shook his head and pulled the couch's throw blanket over himself. "Please leave me alone," he mumbled into the cushions.

Mathias said nothing, nodded, and left to go call a taxi.

**XxX**

"Will you stop smoking when you're here?" Mathias demanded from the kitchen as Berg sat on his couch, breathing in a cigarette. "Seriously, the landlord is about to kick me out for all this ash. How do you like your coffee?"

Berg grabbed the ashtray and stubbed out his cigarette in it. "Just cream, no sugar," he answered.

"Got it." Mathias returned to the couch with two cups of coffee, one for himself and one for his friend.

"How's work been?" asked Berg, "And why haven't you answered my text?"

"I was out last night," Mathias answered, "and work's fine."

"How's Lukas?"

Mathias shook his head. "He collapsed at work yesterday. Apparently he's been working himself too hard recently. I'm worried about him."

"You're worried about him?" repeated Berg.

"What are you, a parrot? Of course I'm worried about him, he's my friend. I..." Mathias's voice trailed off.

"You...?"

At that moment, Mathias had never hated Berg so much in his life. He was just too damn good at finding truths that were never meant to be found. Giving in, Mathias took a sip of his coffee and sighed. "I... Had a really weird dream about him recently."

"Wet dream?"

Mathias choked on his coffee. "Don't... Say it like that! God, how have I put up with you for all this time, you and your bluntness!"

Berg ignored his jab. "I'm right, though. Right?"

"Shut up."

"I'm right." Berg took a smug sip of coffee. "So," he continued, "What do you actually feel about him?"

Mathias shook his head. "I'm not sure. He's cute and cool and sexy as hell, that's for sure. And he's been helping me, too..."

"But...?"

"But sometimes, he acts like he likes me, and sometimes he just doesn't." Mathias sighed. "I don't know what to think anymore. I just want to know what he's thinking. His agenda. Why he's playing me. But I still, you know, want to hang out with him and talk with him and, hell, be there for him if he needs me. Like friends do. Er... If you can call us friends, now..." he trailed off.

"You're a fool, Mathias." Berg stated.

Mathias shook his head and took a swig of coffee. "I know."

**XxX**

As he napped, Lukas's dreams that day were filled with confusion and chaos. He ran from darkness. He was bound by chains he couldn't see. He couldn't fight, he could only be dragged down and beaten by an invisible subjugator.

And then there was light.

The unseen tyrant was gone, replaced by Tino, standing, smiling, his arms out, inviting Lukas to come to him and be held. Slowly, Lukas approached him. He trusted that smile and Tino's natural kindness, right? Did he?

As doubt shot through him, Tino changed. He morphed into a monster, one not seen since his childhood nightmares. The chains returned and when he looked up, he was too late to stop the blade of a sword coming down upon him.

Then darkness, and the feeling of being held tightly.

It was Mathias, holding some sort of shield, pressing Lukas to his body as blows rained upon them. The Dane smiled, the same cocky smile Lukas saw in their trial photographs while they were training, and sent the monster flying into oblivion with a simple thrust of his shield, never to be seen again.

Then the light faded into the dim rosiness of an elaborate bedchamber, furnished with antiques and smelling of dust. Lukas lay on the bed, completely naked, with Mathias hovering over him. This time, a gentle smile graced his lips, kind blue eyes never wavering from his as he leaned down to capture Lukas's lips in a deep kiss. Sweet and filled with passion. In his dream, Mathias's voice was not audible, but the words his lips formed sent shivers down Lukas's spine.

_You don't have to move, love. Let me make you feel good. _

_ I love you, Luke._

Those words repeated, a mantra in his dream. As dream-Mathias said, Lukas didn't move. He couldn't move. He was totally prone as Mathias tasted, savored, and worshipped his body.

The worst part was that having Mathias's lips on him, having him explore each and every nook and cranny of his body with his tongue and fingertips, felt so goddamn good.

Mathias was annoying. He shouldn't be making Lukas feel this good, and he shouldn't be uttering those damn three words, _I love you._

God, it was almost enough to make Lukas fall in love right back.

He awoke, dazed. He couldn't have any feelings other than "like" towards Mathias, right?

Right?

**XxX**

In the month Mathias had worked at _Image_, he never expected his first partner shoot to be without Lukas. Disregarding every other confusing emotion bubbling in his heart for him, Lukas was his mentor, the one who had trained and conditioned him to earn a spot in Germany's fast-paced modeling business. Yet there he was, sitting in the makeup room as fragrant powder was brushed across his face and his lips were being teased by translucent gloss, getting ready for his close-up. The makeup artists smiled, made idle conversation as they applied the stuff (Mathias had absolutely no clue all these powders and creams existed), and sent him out with a pat on the back and a smile.

He walked onstage where another man waited, sitting casually on a large white box. He was easily taller than Mathias, with angular, rugged features and sea-green eyes shielded by plastic-framed glasses. Supposedly, he was also partaking in the shoot._This guy looks familiar,_ Mathias idly thought as he took a seat next to him on the box. _Where have I seen him before?_

Out of the crowd, Tino bounded up to the stage and blew a kiss at the mystery man. "Good luck today, Berwald," he smiled.

Mystery-man Berwald smiled back, a slightly disturbing sight, in Mathias's opinion. "Why won't ya kiss m'face, Tino?" he asked teasingly.

"Silly," Tino answered, "I'd mess up your make-up. Probably leave some dumb lip-print on it or something."

"I don' mind. Shows th' world yer mine."

_Ugh, retch,_ Mathias thought as Berwald's identity suddenly dawned on him, _he's the guy Luke and I walked in on in Studio B that one time. Great. Shows the world he's screwin' Tino, that's for sure._

Thankfully, Tino finished off the disgusting lovey-dovey banter with Berwald and turned to Mathias. "Hey, good luck on the shoot today. Standing on your own, eh?"

Mathias smiled back. "Yeah, Luke and boss man both say I'm ready so I guess I'm ready."

"About Luke..." Tino said, "Have you heard from him? He's not picking up my calls."

"He told me to leave me alone when I brought him home," Mathias answered sheepishly, "so that's what I've been doing. Leaving him alone. I should call him, though."

"Can you? That would be great!" Tino cheered, "I bet he'll pick up _your_ calls." He cast another loving glance at Berwald and sauntered off the stage just as Ludwig announced that the photoshoot was about to start.

**XxX**

"You're home?"

Lukas leaned against the doorway, clutching a fleece blanket snugly around his body. Emil was studying at his desk, munching on an apple. "Mm-hmm," he replied taciturnly, most of his focus directed at the textbook on his desk.

"It's two in the afternoon, though."

Emil laughed, swiveling his chair around to face his brother. "How long have you been out, bro? It's Saturday. Of course I'm not at school."

"But it was Friday when I... Never mind." _I slept all the way through Friday? Wow, I can't believe it,_ marveled Lukas.

"Anyway," continued Emil, closing his textbook, "you must be hungry. Want food?"

Lukas shook his head. "Not if you're going to be cooking it. You're the only person I know who has ever managed to burn oatmeal."

"Hey, that wasn't my fault," Emil countered, "I had a test that day and I didn't study the night before..." he sighed, "Yeah, it was my fault. Let's order."

An awkward silence ensued, broken by Lukas's laughter. He shuffled closer to his brother and leaned over him, resting his chin on Emil's silver hair. Emil's chuckles joined, and soon the two boys were rolling around in hysterics. Lukas's hands left his blanket to clutch at his aching belly.

"I needed that," he chortled, standing up. "Thanks, bro."

"Anytime," Emil put a hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed. "How about a pizza? You look like you need some carbohydrates."

**XxX**

One empty-yet-satisfying box of pizza later, Lukas looked at Emil and said, "God, brother, you are the only one who cares for me like this. Thanks."

Emil covered his brother's hand with his and replied, "Anytime, Lukas. But... I'm not the only one, you know."

"I don't know," said Lukas, "who else could there be? Tino? Berwald?"

"Mathias."

Lukas could feel the bile rising in his throat. "M...Mathias? Why?" He stammered, trying to wrap his head around any piece of logic he could find. He found none, and simply looked at his brother as if the silver-haired boy had grown a second head.

"Remember when you fainted?"

"I was out cold, of course I don't remember," replied Lukas bitterly.

"He stayed with you all night," continued Emil, "Glad he was there, too. He's annoying, but bro, he cares about you. A lot. He's nicer than you'd think."

Shiftly, Lukas eyed the empty pizza box. "I guess..." he muttered, "I have been a little too hard on him..."

Emil regarded him dubiously, then nodded. "I guess that's what you could call it. You should give him a call. Say thanks and stuff." He moved to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"I have a test on Monday. Go call Mathias!" Emil laughed, leaving the room.

**XxX**

The shoot went without a hitch. Having Lukas's wisdom under his belt made Mathias feel a hell of a lot more confident, and the designers he and Berwald were advertising for, The Vargas Brothers, even marveled at how "_magnifico_" their suits looked on the tall blond men. Mathias liked to think that he was the one making that suit look good.

Afterwards, Mathias said his goodbyes to everyone and left for home. Returning to his apartment, he decided to give Lukas a call.

_This is Lukas Bondevik. I'm not here right now. Please leave a message._

Mathias hung up without leaving a message, then immediately regretted it. Everyone was concerned about Lukas. He had to at least give him a little heads-up. He dialed Lukas's number again, muttering, "yeah, yeah, I know it's you," as Lukas's voice prompted him to leave a message.

The phone beeped. "Yeah, hi, Luke, it's Mathias. I wanted to know how you were doing. What's up? Er... Had my first shoot today with that Berwald guy. And, uh... It went well. Thanks. Call me back, please?"

He ended the call and snapped his phone shut. Nothing he could do but wait.

Five minutes later, his phone rang. It was Lukas.

**XxX**

It had taken forever for Lukas to find his phone. In the crazy events of the past twenty-four hours, his phone had been misplaced. He found it under the couch, it must have dropped there while he was tossing and turning from that... Dream.

He contemplated calling Mathias, but business came first: he had to find out if he had gotten that contract. Luckily, Ludwig was on his speed dial, and all he had to do was press the number seven and talk.

"Ludwig Beilschmidt, _Image_, how can I help you?"

"Mr. Beilschmidt, stop with the _scheiße _and tell me straight: what's going on with us and that American agent who was here?" Lukas asked, slightly panicked.

He heard an audible sigh coming from Ludwig's end. "He didn't pick you."

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Lukas asked cautiously, "Who did he pick?" _It's now or never that I find out,_ he thought.

"Ah, he picked Tino," Ludwig casually answered, "But, even after that fainting spell, you're too good for us to let you go," he chuckled, "so I'll see you back in on Monday, okay?"

"Okay, thank you. Goodbye." Lukas said quietly, letting the phone drop from his ear.

His chance was gone. Who knew when another one would come? And despite all his hard work, it was Tino, not him, who had gotten the contract. Tino, who spent his free time fucking Berwald in empty rooms. Tino, who smiled sweetly and blew carefree kisses at the camera when he was supposed to be serious. Lukas almost couldn't believe that he was the one who stole his dream. It was like Tino had stabbed him straight in the stomach, all the while grinning in that happy, cute way, which for the first time Lukas found downright disgusting. _Hate_, that was the word. He _hated_ Tino right now, more than anything.

Yet, when he glanced back at his phone and found six voice messages from the very person he hated so much at that moment, he couldn't help but listen to them.

"_Hi, Luke, it's Tino, I just wanted to know how you were doing. Are you all right? Are you eating enough? I'm really worried about you!"_

_ "Luke, it's me again, I haven't heard from you so I'm calling you again. Please, please, please be alive!"_

Lukas let a small smile grace his lips. Just like Tino to assume the worst and then be thankfully wrong. He listened on.

_"Luke, oh my God, Luke, why are you not answering my calls? Please be all right, you had better be all right!"_

_ "Lukas Bondevik, I am coming over RIGHT NOW and nothing is going to stop me!"_

"_Okay, so your brother stopped me. Did he give you my message? Knowing your brother, he probably won't, so here it is: I got the modeling contract, but–Oops, I have to go, I'll call you later."_

Lukas felt his blood begin to boil once more at the reminder. He fought it down. Tino had actually come to see him. There was one more message from Tino to listen to. Lukas slightly dreaded hearing what he had to say, but it had to be listened to.

"_Aww, you're not picking up again? Dammit, Luke... What I wanted to tell you was that I refused it. I'm not going anywhere without you, and it's not fair that you were deprived of it because you were sick! So... I'm not taking it. I'm not going anywhere, Luke! See you at work!"_

"Tino..."breathed Lukas, gawking at the device in his hand in amazement. Tino had rejected an international contract with a well-known American agency for him. _That was... Probably the dumbest thing Tino has ever done,_ Lukas mused with a smile. His boiling blood cooled down; he felt the hate being drained out of him and being replaced with a deep admiration of Tino and his ridiculous selflessness.

But still.

He had lost the contract, and with it, any hopes of becoming an international model in the forseeable future. His dreams had been dashed, all because of a little sickness. The worst part was that he could have prevented it. Maybe slept a little more, maybe not have stressed himself out so much... All the things he could have done to get on that agent's good side, rather than fucking up and keeling over in the middle of a shoot. In the middle of a fucking shoot. How could he have been so stupid?

It was time for the disappointment to settle back in.

There was one more message, this one from Mathias. Listlessly, he checked it. _Sure, I guess I'll call him,_ _I think I was supposed to do that, anyway._

Mathias picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"

"It's Lukas. You told me to call you." He mentally kicked himself for being so taciturn, but it was a habit he had fallen into whenever talking with Mathias.

"Guess I did. Well, how are you doing? I heard about the thing with Tino."

Lukas grunted, he thought he had those emotions smoothened over, yet still hot tears threatened to spill from his eyes and tiny hiccups erupted in the back of his throat.

"Are you crying?" Mathias asked quietly.

Lukas couldn't bring himself to answer.

"Is your brother home?"

Lukas nodded, then answered with a tiny "Yes" when he realized Mathias couldn't see him nod.

"Come over. Right now. I'll be waiting."

Lukas hiccuped a small "I'll be there in twenty," then hung up and went immediately for his car keys.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Even though it was long, it was fun to write. Lukas is a really complex character. He's fun.<br>It's the end of the term, so I'm flippin' out with all these tests and papers and such all of a sudden being thrown at me. It's good to get away for a little bit, though. I was writing about George Orwell's _1984_ before this. **

**Even though I don't usually reply to reviews in the fic, there's one I really need to do here because the reviewer was anon and I can't answer their questions via PM, so bear with me. ;)**

**Mats:  
>Wow, I don't know what to say... I feel so flattered! <strong>

**It's okay, I think your English is very good! :)  
><strong>

**I chose Germany as the setting because I did some research and found that Germany has quite a lot of modeling agencies. I also spent a week traveling through southern Germany with an orchestra over the summer. It was great, and everything was so beautiful. (Unfortunately, I didn't speak any German at all during that time. It took my friends and I three days and a LOT of asking to figure out that "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" was "Do you speak English?") I really want to go back on my own, so I just started trying to study German on my own. XD**

**_Image_ is in northeastern Germany, in Berlin. Beautiful models such as these should be in the capital, no? :P**

**Thanks for your questions, though! I like answering them. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>See y'all next chapter! ;D<br>**


	9. Chapter 9: I Am The Idiot

**AN: OOPS A SEX SCENE WHAT.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>9 - I Am The Idiot<strong>

Lukas didn't even bother knocking. He pushed his way through the door, startling Mathias who had seated himself on the kitchen counter in wait. "Hey, Luke. Sorry about the apartment... It's shit."

Lukas shook his head. "I don't care," he mumbled, slipping off his shoes.

"Well, make yourself at home, want me to make you coffee?"

"That'd be nice. Sugar and cream, please."

Mathias mixed up the coffee as Lukas sat himself down on Mathias's couch. He took a look around the room. Mathias was right, the apartment _was_ shit. He had obviously tried to keep it as clean as possible, but there was no remedy for the cracks and stains on the thin walls and the vague scent of mold coming from the ceiling, mostly masked by the scent of an air freshener plugged into the wall. He reclined on the couch. It smelled much better than the rest of the room. _Must be Mathias's scent,_ he mused, sighing.

Soon, a new scent overtook his senses. Mathias had returned with his coffee, and Lukas gratuitously, even though the sun was on the verge of setting. Coffee was great.

"How are you doing?" Mathias asked, voice barely more than a whisper.

Lukas simply shook his head, set down his coffee cup, and walked over to the wall. Gently, he traced over a spiderlike hairline crack in the plaster, muttering unintelligibly. Mathias followed him over, placing a hand against his back. "Luke..." He murmured.

"No." Lukas turned around abruptly and slid down, curling up into a ball on the floor. Even though Mathias knelt to his level, he still looked so small. Cautiously, gently, as though Lukas were a glass figurine, he placed his hands over his bent back.

"If you want to talk about anything, Lukas..." He mumbled softly.

Lukas's head shot up, dark eyes meeting Mathias's sky blue ones in an electrifying stare. "No," he repeated, uncurling himself and standing on his knees. Mathias watched, unable to think, to move, to speak, as Lukas casually loosened his tie, doffed his shirt, and leaned down, barely a breath away from Mathias's ear.

"Well, what do you want...?" Mathias whispered.

"Make me forget."

There was no time to think, only to act. Mathias pulled Lukas down into a kiss, hands exploring the naked planes of his back. He held Lukas against him, breathing in the smell of his skin and reveling in how goddamn great he felt pressed into his body. Simply having Lukas in his arms was pure ecstasy.

Lukas, however, didn't seem to think so. "Give it to me, Mathias," he whispered harshly, tugging his hands through Mathias's hair, "Now."

When Mathias returned with a quizzical look, Lukas rolled his hips against his, groaning loudly. "You know what I want," he breathed. Mathias could smell the coffee on his breath.

Their eyes met, electrifying and gravity-defying. Any reason either man had had flown out the window. Lukas straddled Mathias, kissing him fervently, grinding against his leg frantically. Mathias's hands went for Lukas's chest, roaming his beautifully toned skin.

Of course Lukas was attractive–he was a top model, after all–but it took more than attractive to drive Mathias crazy enough to tear his own clothes off, rid Lukas of his jeans and underwear, and push him onto the carpeted floor.

Lukas simply smirked, reached up, and pulled Mathias down into another open-mouthed kiss. Now they were getting somewhere. He locked his legs around Mathias, hauling his hips up. Mathias growled into the kiss as their cocks brushed; a faint touch, but it burned all the same. Craving more of that heat, Mathias pressed down, rutting his hips against Lukas's. His lips latched onto the younger man's collarbone, peppering licks and kisses and nips across his pale skin. Lukas let out a loud moan, dragging his hands across Mathias's muscled back to tangle in his hair.

Everything was pure heat and lust. No whispered "I love you"s or tender gazes, just sweaty skin scraping against sweaty skin and wordless screams and sighs tangling in the air.

Hands wandered everywhere. Lukas adored the feeling of Mathias's large, flat hands exploring his body, fingertips spreading out and digging into his skin. He let out a breathy "fuck!" when Mathias reached between them, palming their erections. Unabashedly, Lukas wrapped his legs around Mathias's waist and thrust into his hand, frantically enough to send them tumbling into the wall, effectively reversing their positions. Now on top and in control, Lukas straddled Mathias, licking a dominative stripe up the other's neck.

Refusing to surrender, Mathias grabbed Lukas's hips and yanked him down, kneading pale globes of flesh, grating their erections together. Lukas moaned, pressing his face against Mathias's and dancing his tongue up the helix of his ear.

"I want it now," Lukas whispered hotly.

"We don't have lube," Mathias mumbled against Lukas's cheek. Lukas snarled. He wanted Mathias so bad, he was twitching in anticipation.

"Use your imagination," he growled, turning around. Mathias's eyes widened; he had been bestowed with the sight of Lukas's absolutely perfect ass in the air right in front of him, and less than a second later, the warm, wet, delicious feeling of Lukas's mouth swallowing him whole. He spread his legs, allowing Lukas more access, and reached up to grab at that gorgeous ass.

An even better idea overtook him. He smirked, gave three of his fingers a hearty lick, then teasingly ran them across Lukas's opening, eliciting a muffled moan as Lukas pressed back, seeking more. And more was just what Mathias planned to give him. Without hesitation, he plunged one finger in, shifting it around in a way that made Lukas cry out in need. Another finger was slipped in to join the first and when Lukas wasn't satisfied with that, a third one was added.

Lukas welcomed the intrusion, especially as Mathias's fingers began to thrust in and out. He spiraled a long lick up Mathias's cock then swiped away pearls of precum from the slit with his tongue. Mathias's fingers curled inside him in response. Lukas groaned, mouth full, sending pleasant vibrations through Mathias's body as those fingers wriggled around more. Bobbing his head, he took Mathias's entire length into his mouth, lubricating it with his saliva and making the Dane emit a choked moan and spread his fingers inside him. That stretch, the feeling of being filled, he wanted it so bad.

"Quick, hurry..." Lukas pulled away, getting on his hands and knees as Mathias sat up. "Just... Do it now..."

Mathias decided he wasn't done being a tease. "What do you want?" he asked in a harsh whisper?"

"Fuck me, idiot."

Mathias laughed.

"_Please,_" added Lukas.

Pressing a kiss between Lukas's shoulder blades, Mathias pushed in slowly. Lukas let out a muffled yell; Mathias was bigger than he thought. Mathias smirked, "Feeling it yet?"

"Shut... up..." Panted Lukas, wriggling his hips to try and get Mathias to go further. "Fucking tease..."

Mathias thrust forward. This time, Lukas's yell was loud and clear.

"_Harder! More!_"

Obliging Lukas, Mathias upped his speed, his thrusts becoming erratic and frenzied as he went in and out, scraping against Lukas's prostate, making the man screech in rapture.

To torture him even more, Mathias reached around and took hold of Lukas's throbbing cock, stroking and squeezing him into ecstasy as Lukas fought to stay up on his hands and knees.

The feeling of having Lukas clench around him as he came was simply amazing, and with a choked gasp, Mathias emptied himself into the thrashing body beneath him as Lukas came onto the carpet. Pulling out, Mathias flopped down onto the ground, Lukas falling next to him, completely spent. It was so crazy, and so great, that with a heavy sigh, he hauled Lukas's tired body next to his and fell fast asleep.

**XxX**

_Oh God, what the fuck did I just do..._

Lukas awoke to the sound of a car alarm blaring outside only to find that he was curled up next to Mathias on the floor, bodies pressed against one another, one of Mathias's strong arms supporting his neck and the other one draped over his waist.

The only light came in from the street lights outside, his knees, wrists, and lower back hurt, and his body reeked of sweat and sex.

Mathias snored loudly and rolled over onto Lukas's lap, trapping the man underneath him. Lukas shoved him off. He really did not need any more physical contact with Mathias right now. Instead, he needed one hell of a smoke. Quietly, he slipped on his boxers and jeans, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out a half-empty package of cigarettes and a lighter, and left the apartment.

The hallway was silent, almost eerily so. Blue moonlight bathed the space from an open window at the end of the hall, illuminating the faded patterns on the carpet. Lukas made his way towards that window, an unlit cigarette dangling from between his lips. He fumbled with his lighter, paying no attention to the ash falling onto the floor, and rested his elbows on the windowsill.

The night air greeted him like a long lost brother, caressing his face and sending smoke sailing outside. Mind lulled, he could finally think, or rather, bathe in the shame that washed over him with the air.

He had sex, sure. That was normal. Sex was good.

It was just _who_ he had sex with.

He tried to mutter it, to say it out loud: "I had sex with Mathias," but his voice snagged before he could say his partner's name. Yet it rung loud and clear in his head. _I, Lukas Bondevik, had sex with Mathias Køhler, and it felt..._

"Fuck," he cursed, hot ash from his cigarette falling onto his hand. _It felt... Okay._ He brushed the ash off and watched it float down, slightly disturbed. His mind wandered back to his dream the day before. Yes, Mathias had a godly body. It couldn't be denied. But the Mathias in his dream was more... Tender. Loving.

_Am I disappointed? I'm kind of disappointed..._ Lukas mused, tapping his cigarette on the windowsill.

_ What does he think of me, anyway?_

Sighing, he replaced the cigarette in his mouth and took a deep breath, then sputtered. Smoking wasn't really his thing, after all. He just needed one every now and then, and this was definitely every now and then.

His coughing masked the sound of footsteps approaching him, and when long arms planted themselves on either side of him, he jolted in surprise.

"Smoking after sex? How cliché of you."

Lukas whirled around at the sound of Mathias's cool voice, ash dropping from his cigarette onto the hallway floor. "What do you want?" he said.

"You're not supposed to smoke in the building, either," Mathias plucked the cigarette from between Lukas's fingers, "I already get enough crap from having Berg smoking in here. Don't need any more."

"What do you want?" Lukas repeated, focusing his icy glare on Mathias. "Give me my cig back."

"I'm sick of playing games, Lukas." Mathias snuffed the cigarette out on the windowsill, not caring about the burn mark and the ash he left behind, and tossed the cigarette out of the open window into the night sky.

"What are you talking about," Lukas replied. His head was beginning to hurt and Mathias was closing in on him.

Planting an arm on either side of Lukas, Mathias trapped him against the wall and glared directly at him. "Liking me. Hating me. Liking then hating me again. Seducing me. Now do you know?"

Cautiously, Lukas shook his head.

"Don't play dumb with me, Luke." Mathias leaned in, his breath ghosting over Lukas's neck.

For a second, Lukas thought Mathias would force him, take him in the hallway against his will and better judgement, but he simply felt thin lips brush against his cheek as Mathias pulled away.

"_I love you,_" he whispered, turning away and trudging back into his apartment.

Lukas slumped against the wall and slid to the floor.

_Damn, I need another smoke._

**XxX**

Silently, Lukas reentered Mathias's apartment. Everything was dark save for the city lights flickering through the windows, casting yellow shadows on the walls. He smiled wistfully at the window; Berlin, just like any other big city, never slept.

He felt a pang of emotion stab at his heart, a likeness to the forever-awake state of the city. His thoughts never slept, always running around like the people on the sidewalks trying to get to where they needed to be, no matter the hour. As long as Berlin was filled with people, as long as Lukas's mind was filled with these racing thoughts, neither of them would get any sleep.

He peeked into Mathias's bedroom. The man was sprawled out on his back, taking up most of the small bed, his legs hanging off the side, asleep. Silently, he ghosted over to the side of the bed and trailed his fingertips down Mathias's cheek. _This is the man who loves me,_ one of his racing thoughts whispered. _This idiot._

_ Who's an idiot?_

_ You're the idiot._

_I am the idiot,_ Lukas mused, leaning down to brush his lips against Mathias's. Then he padded out of the room, picked up his stuff, and wandered outside, looking for a cab to hail home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This chapter actually took waaay longer for me to write than the last one, even though it's shorter! Roar.<br>I'm out for this weekend, going to Anime Boston! So excited! I'm cosplaying Friday as Dave Strider and Saturday as Finland. I'm quite excited! (So don't expect any new chapters during the three-day weekend when I'm supposed to have time, lol. I'll be partying in Boston with a bunch of other nerds.)  
>*dances*<br>**


	10. Chapter 10: Seriously

**10 - Seriously**

_Finally home._

Lukas silently padded into the house, hoping to avoid waking up Emil, and closed himself in his room.

So much had happened. His head was spinning, too much to even allow himself to flop down on his bed, despite how tired he was.

_I had sex with Mathias._

_ "I love you, Lukas."_

_ I am the idiot._

Mathias was an annoying dickwad who didn't know the meaning of personal space. At least, that's what Lukas kept trying to tell himself.

But the truth was staring him in the face; Mathias was, in his own obnoxious way, sweet to the point where thinking about it made Lukas want to cry. Or punch a wall. Whichever was more therapeutic.

Who was the one who stayed by his side all night when the exhaustion was too much for him? It was Mathias.

Who was the one who put up with his sarcasm and verbal jabs yet still smiled upon him kindly? It was Mathias.

Who was the one who had given Lukas a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, and a body to warm him, despite all his failures? It was Mathias.

Mathias was an annoying dickwad who didn't know the meaning of personal space, but, to Lukas's disbelief, he was sweet. He was kind. He was loyal. Hell, he could even be serious if he wanted to.

Idly, Lukas gazed down at his feet and wondered when in the last few months Mathias had become so amazing.

Then he bent down to take off his socks and mentally kicked himself for even referring to him as "amazing."

Mathias's worried face, brows knotted, eyes desperate for an answer, appeared in his mind's eye. He couldn't leave someone like that in limbo forever.

Yes, he had to come out with it.

_I love Mathias._

**XxX**

Love was awful. Fate was cruel. This was probably the first time in Mathias's life where he had spread himself so thin, all for the sake of another person. And of all people, that person was Lukas: cool, frigid, snarky... Almost the exact opposite of Mathias.

Yet he loved him. Even the frigid and snarky parts.

At first it was all about wanting to see if he could make the cool beauty lose his cool, find the burning passion inside him, but now his eyes had been opened. Lukas was just another guy (who happened to be a gorgeous model, but that was besides the point, Mathias told himself,) with feelings, problems, dreams, and failures, just like Mathias. He felt a kinship between them, having failed himself nary a few months before, a kinship of mortality and imperfection.

Lukas wasn't perfect. Neither was he. In that respect, they were exactly the same.

But Lukas was not comfortable with his imperfections. That was clearly evident, even to someone who could be as oblivious as Mathias, and watching him hurt.

Lukas was special. A sweet brother, a determined model, and a sensible person. He didn't need to hurt himself this way, he was already beyond amazing.

_Amazing. Breathtaking._

Mathias sat up on the bed and touched his lips gently. The faint taste of coffee remained, and he could almost feel the gentle press of Lukas's lips against his. Had he been more than faintly awake, he would have pulled Lukas next to him, but in the darkness and grogginess, he could barely register the soft kiss Lukas gave him before he disappeared into the night.

It was so quick and so gentle, it could have been a dream. Yet Mathias knew, with every particle of his being, that it was real.

And if the kiss was real, so was Lukas's love.

**XxX**

It wasn't until the following Monday that they saw each other again. Mathias spent the rest of the weekend bewildered and angry, trying to call Lukas and failing, wondering what the hell had happened. Lukas was definitely hiding from him. He even counted the rings on his cell phone every time he called: usually three, which was definitely enough time for Lukas to check the caller ID and hang up. What was to become of them? Would Lukas even push him away? With sickening disappointment, Mathias knew that Lukas just might. He didn't even want to go to work on Monday. The realization was quite a tough blow, but for the sake of work, he had to go on, Lukas or no Lukas.

But when Mathias strode into _Image_ that morning (he was supposed to meet up with Berwald, Ludwig, their photographer, and the Vargas brothers to discuss their most recent shoot and look at pictures), that mindset went completely out the window when he saw Lukas leaning against the front desk, chatting with Mona as he usually did. He raced over to Lukas and picked him up by the waist, only to have him squirm out of his grasp and counter with a knee to the stomach.

"What do you want?" he snapped, hands curled into fists.

Mathias simply doubled over, laughing and rubbing his sore stomach. "Nice to see you again," he chuckled.

"What's up with you?" Lukas's anger did not subside. He still stood, aggravated, feet apart and fists trembling.

Mathias's demeanor suddenly turned. He straightened up, frowned, and grabbed Lukas by the wrist, dragging him into the empty hallway.

"What the hell, Luke?" He whispered, face inches away from Lukas's.

Lukas placed his hands on Mathias's chest and gently shoved him away. "Give me time to think."

"That was already enough time!" Mathias retorted, "Are you deliberately ignoring me? Especially after what you did Saturday night?"

It was Lukas's turn to get angry again. "What _I _did? You're the one who had sex with me!"

"Technically, it was you doing the seducing, but that's not what I'm talking about." Mathias smirked.

Lukas's eyes narrowed. That smirk both aroused and enraged him beyond reason. "What are you talking about, then?" he challenged.

"The kiss."

"What kiss? We've kissed plenty of times!" Lukas glanced to the side shiftily; he knew exactly what kiss Mathias was talking about.

Mathias leaned in even closer, his breath ghosting over Lukas's ear. "You thought I was asleep."

Lukas bristled. "You were awake!" He hid a worried frown behind his hand, but the furrow of his brow was completely obvious for Mathias to see.

"Yup. So, explain."

Glancing around, Lukas shook his head. "Not here. Too public. Come see me in our studio after your meeting, then I'll tell you." He pushed Mathias away and marched down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. Mathias watched him leave, a worried frown creasing his face. Just when Lukas was about to open up to him, he snapped shut again like an oyster, right when Mathias was about to reach the pearl inside.

And now that Mathias had caught a glimpse of that pearl, of the precious feelings Lukas kept within his heart, he was enraptured.

He wanted that pearl.

**XxX**

The photos looked great. Mathias, Berwald, Ludwig, and even the picky Vargas brothers agreed, and the best few were sent out to the advertising firm responsible for promoting Feliciano's and Lovino's designs. Even Ludwig, "Herr Ich-habe-ein-Zweig-in-mein-Arsch" as Mathias sometimes affectionally referred to him in his head, smiled and told Mathias he was doing great so far and that his paycheck for this job would be coming next week. Mathias simply smiled back and thanked him; he didn't want to say anything weird when there was money involved.

After the meeting, which had lasted shorter than Mathias had expected, he headed over to Studio B. It was the only studio he and Lukas had ever shared, other than the photography studio, but Francis was having a shoot that day and it was closed to everyone else. As expected, Lukas was waiting there, sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the window. He rose to his feet when Mathias entered, beckoning him over with a wave of his hand.

"So are you going to tell me, now?" Mathias asked eagerly.

Lukas stiffened. Mathias really knew how to get to the point.

Gently, Mathias reached out a hand, brushing his fingers against Lukas's cheek. "Babe?" he murmured, "Are you?"

"Don't _call_ me that," retorted Lukas, placing his hand over Mathias's.

"Dodging the subject again?" Mathias sighed, frowning. In response, Lukas chuckled, surprising Mathias. "Hey... What's up?"

Lukas did his best to stifle his laughter "You're actually being serious, for once."

"Of course I'm being serious! This is a serious thing!" Mathias replied, hurt. "Seriously... I love you."

"You've said that already." Lukas looked down.

"I'll say it again if you don't believe me."

Lukas stayed silent.

"I love you."

More silence.

"I love everything about you. You're so cool, so determined, so–"

Lukas interrupted Mathias's speech with a shove to the chest. "What movie did you get that from?" he questioned, scowling.

"It's called, _Seriously, Lukas: I'm Trying To Tell You How I Feel So Shush._" Mathias huffed. It might have been a joke, but Mathias didn't even crack a smile.

"Argh!" Lukas cried out, taking a step back. "Why do you have to be so serious _now_?" It would have been easier to dismiss Mathias's feelings with a snide remark or a pinch to the cheek if he wasn't being so sincere. "God, you've changed, Mathias. For the better. That's so annoying."

Mathias smiled and reached out towards Lukas again. This time, Lukas docilely walked into his arms to have them fold gently around his back. "I kissed you because I love you too," he muttered quietly into Mathias's chest. "There's your answer."

"Hmm? I couldn't hear you, could you repeat that?" teased Mathias, stroking Lukas's hair.

Cold hands wandered up Mathias's shirt and pinched his stomach, eliciting a high-pitched squeal. "I love you, ok?" Lukas repeated, glaring up at Mathias. "I thought you were an annoying dickface at first," he glowered, "and you're still unbelievably annoying. But," Lukas tugged on Mathias's earlobe gently, planting a kiss on his neck, "you're nice. That's the best way I can put it."

"What do you like about me the best?" Mathias asked eagerly.

"You're pushing it."

Mathias grinned and squeezed his arms tight around Lukas. "I'm done for the day," he said with a suggestive smirk, "want to blow this joint?"

"Absolutely not," replied Lukas bluntly.

Mathias let go. "Why?" he asked, shocked.

"I've got a shoot in half an hour," answered Lukas, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Are you going to watch?"

"Am I?" Mathias said eagerly, "Of course I'm going with you!"

Lukas nodded and led Mathias out of Studio B and down to the shoot room. They crept around the back hallway, carefully avoiding Francis's shoot as it was wrapping up and making their way to the back room where _Image_'s makeup artists waited.

Mathias watched as Lukas lowered himself into the vinyl chair and let himself be pampered and teased by the busy people around him. Even though he had, fairly recently, been in the chair himself, it was entertaining to watch from the other side how the artists worked to soften whatever blemishes there were on Lukas's face (including covering up a small mole he had on his right cheek) and apply heat to his hair to curl it just the right way, all for the camera. When they had finally finished, Lukas looked so much more different: less tired, paler, and more delicate than he normally was.

_To be honest, I like Lukas the way he is without makeup,_ Mathias mused, following Lukas out to the studio and saying hi to Francis as he passed them, having finished his own shoot. He pulled out a folding chair and set it up in the viewing area, straddling it backwards, a habit he had fallen into when sitting in chairs ever since he had started at _Image_.

He watched, intrigued, as Lukas was posed and primped under the lights and lenses. According to Ludwig, he was posing for advertisements, just like Mathias and Berwald had, but this time he was advertising for some perfume or cologne or something. Why companies used pictures to advertise fragrances was beyond him, but knowing Lukas's charisma, shoppers would be falling over their feet to even be the slightest bit associated with this cool beauty through this perfume.

The light shone on his face, lightening his skin even more, highlighting his foggy eyes, parted lips, and the shadows on the curve of his neck. Mathias shivered.

_Delicious._

"More sexual, Bondevik," chimed Ludwig, "remember, you're selling aphrodisiac, not tap water!"

Lukas shrugged and upped his performance as Ludwig directed. His eyes grew more pleading, his lips pursing in a perfect O, and reaching out at the camera–out at his audience.

The falsified countenance he was putting on simply said, "fuck me." Mathias wanted to run onstage and kiss Lukas senseless right there, but he simply gripped the back of his chair tighter and stared on.

Their eyes met. As the cameras flashed, the corners of Lukas's lips twitched, smirking at him for a millisecond, as if to taunt Mathias. _Look at me, I can drive you crazy with a single look, and there's nothing you can do about it because I'm up here and you're down there._

Maybe he was reading into it too much, or maybe Lukas was in a snarky mood. Either way, there would be hell to pay when he was done.

Mathias smirked back.

**XxX**

Lukas, bent over the sink in the back of the lounge, was rinsing makeup off his face with help from one of the makeup artists. When he was done, he dried his face with a grimy towel, only to be seized into a passionate kiss.

"What are you doing?" Lukas whispered harshly, managing to push Mathias away.

"Can't help it; you looked so cool up there. Why are you so cool?" Mathias asked.

"Because one of us has to be, and it's definitely not you." Answered Lukas. Without his makeup, a heavy blush could be seen on his face despite his cold words.

"So cold, Luke..." Mathias pleaded, "Even after you got me all fired up watching your shoot..."

Lukas smirked, casting a sidelong glance at the makeup artists who sat chatting on the sofa. "Too many people here. Follow me home?" He extended a hand to Mathias, who took it gratuitously, pressing a kiss to Lukas's fingers.

"Lead the way, loverboy."

When they walked out, Mathias was nursing a sore cheek courtesy of one of Lukas's pokes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: WOOOO WHAT I UPDATED? It's been a while! Anime Boston was great, if anyone went, I was the bespectacled Finland with the Sweden plushie on Saturday.<br>Basically this was delayed because of writers' block and recovering from the convention, but I'm not dead, wooooo!  
>Stay tuned for smut, my lovelies!<br>(Haha, I'm way too excited for it to be 11:40 PM.)  
><strong>


	11. Chapter 11: Second Try at a First Time

**If this is a M-rated fic, do I really need to warn people about /sex/? Between these two studs, it was bound to happen anyway. Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>11 - Second Try at a First Time<strong>

Even though it was their second time having sex, Mathias still felt nervous. Lukas was in the shower, washing off all the smelly makeup from his shoot, while Mathias, having previously showered, sat on Lukas's bed with a towel around his waist. According to Lukas, Emil was out at school and had plans to get dinner with some friends ("on a school night, of all times!" Lukas had huffed indignantly) and wouldn't be home until night.

He cast his gaze around Lukas's bedroom. It was messier than Mathias would have thought, with clothes cast about on chairs and the floor. There was a TV sitting on the dresser opposite the bed, and Lukas's night stand was covered with what could be best described as "things." Stamps, snowglobes, seashells, maybe an alarm clock or two, foreign coins... any curio Mathias could name was piled up on Lukas's night stand. He smiled slightly. _I woulda expected him to be more of a tightass at home,_ he thought, amused.

When Lukas came back into the room, completely naked and drying his hair with a towel, he found Mathias looking quizzically at a series of knickknacks on his night stand.

"Interested?" he asked, draping an arm around the taller man's waist.

"Yeah." Mathias brushed his fingertips over a small, translucent tulle bag, tied shut with a ribbon drawstring. "Especially this one."

"My pebble collection," Lukas smiled, opened the bag, and spread the shiny pebbles on the bed. "I tumbled these myself."

"Really?" asked Mathias, amazed, "How do you do that?"

"Emil has a rock tumbler from when he was a kid. I pick these up at rivers and lakes and take them home." Lukas sifted his hands through the polished stones. "I'm quite fond of them."

Mathias picked up a deep orange stone with flecks of golden mica, making it sparkle in the dim light of Lukas's room, and inspected it. "Every day, you never fail to surprise me, Luke," he said, handing the pebble to Lukas to put back in the bag. "You know, I'm kind of a collector, too."

"Oh really?" Lukas asked, scooping the rest of the stones back into the bag, "of what?"

"Funny neckties."

Lukas pinched Mathias's waist and gave a small smile. "That sounds like you," he said, replacing the bag of pebbles on the night stand. His thumb hooked under Mathias's towel, and with a simple twitch of his fingers, it fell to the floor.

Mathias's arms wrapped around Lukas's waist, drawing him in close, their naked bodies pressed flush against each other. "You're so cute, Luke," he cooed, nuzzling the other's neck. "So sweet, so adorable, I could just eat you up!"

"What are you talking about, stupid..." Lukas poked Mathias in the cheek. "Save those words for your dessert or something."

Rather than be insulted, Mathias pressed his lips to Lukas's, capturing them in a surprise, closed-mouth, chaste kiss which seemed to go on forever, heating up when Lukas's lips parted the slightest bit, an invitation for Mathias's tongue to peek out and trace against the other's soft bottom lip.

Their tongues touched, wet, hot, and electrifying. Lukas's hands roamed Mathias's broad back, fingers tracing delicious muscles, making their way down to cup his ass and bring him closer. Their erections ground against one another, the heat and friction being almost too much to bear.

Exhaling with a loud grunt, Mathias hoisted one of Lukas's legs up, helping him wrap his legs around his waist, supporting the smaller man with an arm around his slender waist and a hand under his ass. Lukas groaned into the crook of Mathias's neck, grabbing desperately at his hair.

The press of their sweat-slicked bodies, the puffs of hot breath ghosting over each others' skin, the throaty, animalistic sounds emanating from their gaping lips... Nothing else existed but Mathias, Lukas, and the floor they were standing on, and not even that anymore when Mathias lost his balance and sent the two of them tumbling onto the bed.

Before Lukas could even try to move, Mathias had him pinned under him and was trailing kisses down his neck and chest.

"You're being sweet," Lukas commented, stroking Mathias's hair.

"So?" His tongue darted out, dipping into Lukas's bellybutton. Lukas squirmed; it was a strange feeling, but not entirely unpleasant.

"It's different from last time."

"You like it rough?"

Lukas shook his head, immediately remembering a certain dream he had a couple days before. "It's different, but it's nice. I like it."

Mathias crawled up, pressing a soft kiss to Lukas's lips. "I love you," he smiled, "thought we could do the whole 'making love' thing properly this time." He dropped his head, lips wandering over Lukas's neck and collarbone, nipping and sucking. He glanced up to gauge Lukas's reaction, only to see that a deep shade of crimson had spread across his cheeks to the tips of his ears.

"What are you so embarrassed about?" he laughed, fingers trailing down his chest to brush against a nipple. Lukas shuddered, growing even redder than he already was. Encouraged by his reaction, Mathias's lips latched onto his other nipple, skillfully swirling it with the tip of his tongue, eliciting throaty moans, Lukas grabbing at the back of Mathias's head in a desperate attempt to pull him closer than he already was.

"You talk too much," Lukas said weakly as Mathias pulled away.

Standing on his knees, he took in the sight of Lukas below him: blond hair damp and wavy, face flushed a bright shade of vermillion, chest heaving, nipples swollen, the look in his eyes reaching out to Mathias, silently pleading for more. It was almost impossible to believe that this completely undone, magnificent wreck was the same person who calmly regarded the flashing cameras with a composed demeanor and eyes as cold as steel.

"I love you," he purred, brushing strands of damp hair from Lukas's forehead.

Blowing out a sigh, Lukas took one of Mathias's hands and pressed it to his lips. "I love you, too," he mumbled, face reddening once more. Mathias smiled, brushing his hand teasingly up the length of Lukas's cock, flushed and dripping with pre-cum. Lukas shivered, arching into Mathias's touch as he stroked and fisted his arousal. "About... Time..." he choked out.

Rather than talk, Mathias's response was to lean down and run his tongue up the shaft. His lips closed around Lukas, tongue still working, swirling, sending dizzying waves of pleasure spiraling through his body to pool between his legs. Mathias's mouth was warm and wet along his length and worked like a well-oiled machine, licking and sucking and lapping at all the right times to drive Lukas crazy with pleasure. Involuntarily, his hips bucked and he grabbed at Mathias's head, but just as he was about to finish, Mathias abruptly pulled away, focusing instead on peppering kisses across his inner thighs.

"Do you have any lube?" asked Mathias, his voice muffled by the other's body. Lukas nodded, reaching over and groping around on his chaotic night stand to emerge with a bottle, which he passed over to Mathias. "Strawberry flavored, really?" he said, a teasing smirk playing on his lips.

Lukas rolled his eyes. "Don't ask," he answered weakly, "just do."

"All right, all right. Impatient little man," teased Mathias, pressing a kiss to Lukas's brow. He opened the bottle, squirting a liberal amount onto his fingers. "Man, this stuff even smells like strawberry," he said, warming it up. "You ready?"

Lukas nodded, wiggling his hips in anticipation.

"Mmm..." Mathias pressed one finger against Lukas, rubbing, dipping in and out, teasing. He slipped it in, gaze trained on Lukas's face. The other man winced slightly, biting his lip when Mathias dared to add a second finger. He curled and scissored them, and through clenched teeth, Lukas cried out at every movement, arms flailing every which way as a third finger was inserted, stretching him out, moving inside of him. He pressed back onto Mathias's fingers wantonly, seeking the slight brush against his sweet spot, yet finding none.

"I'm ready," Lukas panted.

Mathias nodded, pulled out his fingers, and quickly slicked up his neglected erection, tossing Lukas's legs over his shoulders and aligning himself with him. "Ready?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Mathias shrugged and entered slowly, giving Lukas a chance to get accustomed to his girth. He drew in a sharp breath at the intrusion, legs tensing. "More," Lukas hissed, "Faster!"

Obliging him, Mathias pulled out, only to slam in all the way to the hilt, ramming into the other's prostate, sending screams of pleasure into the thick air. His thrusts fell into an off-beat rhythm with the movement of Lukas's hips, scraping against his sweet spot, searing heat burning through both of them, urged on by Lukas's cries, pleas, and the increasing contractions around his dick.

"Mathias..." Lukas cried out, "I'm going to..."

Before Lukas could finish his sentence, Mathias wrapped his hand around his weeping erection, stroking him into bliss. With a loud and low moan, Lukas came, spilling his essence onto his stomach and Mathias's hand. His body convulsed, eyes rolling back, jaw dropped, spasmodically contracting around Mathias, who came into the spent body beneath him, head falling to Lukas's chest, shuddering against his body as he pulled out.

As Lukas began to regain his senses and pull the blanket around their sticky, exhausted bodies, an idle thought crossed his mind.

_The sheets are ruined._

**XxX**

"I'm a little disappointed," Lukas sighed.

He and Mathias lay in Lukas's bed, side-by-side, Mathias resting his head on Lukas's chest and Lukas stroking Mathias's wild hair gently. Their bodies were still uncomfortably sticky and the air was heavy with the aroma of sweat and sex, but neither of them wanted to leave the warmth of the bed.

"In what?" asked Mathias.

"In myself."

"Why would you be? You're great. You're amazing. You're..." He breathed out, fingers tracing idle patterns over Lukas's ribs, "really, really, cool."

Gently, Lukas smacked Mathias's head. "Not like that. That contract... I could have done so much better. I could be an international model right now." His voice did not waver, but sounded distant and hollow, as if speaking far away.

Mathias struggled to listen. "Why do you want to be an international model so bad, anyway?" he asked.

Lukas was silent for a minute, then shrugged. "There was probably a better reason, but... All I can think about is success." It was a really shallow reason. He was almost embarrassed to say it. "I just want to be successful."

Another pause. Mathias broke it by snuggling deeper into Lukas's chest and saying, "I dunno. I'd say you're pretty successful right now. Besides," he continued, "That contract with Alfred Jones isn't the only international modeling contract in the world, there's bound to be more, right?"

"I know," Lukas replied, "I already got a job with Playgay magazine."

At this statement, Mathias leapt up, eyes wide, jaw dropped. "Playgay? That porn magazine?" he asked, absolutely shocked, "The one with that... reputation? Luke, I can't let you do this!" He grabbed Lukas's hands, surprised eyes boring into the other's still calm ones. "Luke, you're hot, but you've still got your dignity! Don't do it, Luke! Don't do it!"

_Smack._

"Mathias, weren't you the one who was just telling me that my dream is still reachable?" Lukas asked.

Mathias nodded, rubbing his slightly sore cheek. Lukas hadn't slapped it hard at all, but the freezing glare accompanying it made it ache more than if he had been slapped with a chair. "But... I can't just sit back and watch you sell your soul to Satan or something!" He looked at Lukas, expecting a reaction from the man, only to receive an exasperated glance and a heavy sigh. "Okay," Mathias said finally, "I, Mathias Køhler, will become a model at Playgay as well, to protect the honor of–!"

_Smack._

"Are you ever quiet?" Lukas scoffed.

"Only when I've got your dick in my mouth!" grinned Mathias, hands wandering a little _too _low on Lukas's abdomen.

Lukas spread his legs, inviting Mathias to give his flaccid penis a stroke. "Anyway, I need to meet with them tomorrow, so if you're really serious about this, come by and we'll go." Maybe having someone he knew at his new job would ease the butterflies that had suddenly appeared in his stomach.

"Together?"

Lukas gave Mathias a small smile, accompanied by a wink. "Together."

For the second time that evening, they fell into each others' arms.

**XxX**

The first thing Emil noticed when he stepped into the house, two hours later than he had expected, was that it was awfully quiet.

He was sure Lukas would have been waiting behind the front door, ready to pounce and scold him for staying out so late.

But there was no angry Lukas waiting to bitch him out.

The second thing he noticed was that there were no dirty dishes in the sink.

_That's weird,_ he thought, _Lukas should have eaten already. It's way past dinnertime, and he's like a pregnant woman when it comes to food. _

And when he moved further into the house, the third thing he noticed was the awful smell coming from his brother's room. Stopping in front of the closed door and taking a sniff, he mentally ran through all the possible causes of the nasty odor. _Mold? Body odor? Dirty laundry? Dead possum?_ He couldn't quite place his finger on it. Daringly, he placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it, bracing himself for the smell, and opened the door the slightest bit.

The smell hit him like a fist, but what really bowled him over was the sudden realization of its cause.

His brother, naked, with a sheet barely covering his hips, was curled up next to Mathias, equally naked save for the thin sheet draped over his thighs, who had an arm wrapped protectively around Lukas's sleeping form.

Emil closed the door, padded quickly over to his room, and locked his bedroom door behind him.

_Did I really have to know that? _he cursed inwardly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yupyup. It's vacation, so all of a sudden, I have incredible amounts of time on my hands.<br>Yes, I consider this a wise use of my time. ;) **


	12. Chapter 12: Fire and Ice

**12 - Fire and Ice**

Mathias awoke the next morning hot and groggy. He wasn't in his own room, that was for sure, and he wasn't alone.

The body next to him gave a sleepy snuffle, snuggling deeper into Mathias's chest, arms wrapping around his waist to hold him in place. "Where are you going..." Lukas's languid voice washed over him, soothing and cool, but nothing would be able to wash the layer of stank from him like a hot shower.

"Gonna take a shower," Mathias answered, brushing errant strands of blond hair from Lukas's face, "I stink."

"You do," yawned Lukas.

"Serves me right after that nasty night, eh?" Mathias prodded gently, "I'll reek of flowers and soap if you let me go."

Lukas shrugged and relinquished his hold on Mathias, flipping back over to continue sleeping. "Wake me up when you're done."

"I love you."

"You big sap. I love you, too. Now go shower." He pulled the covers over his head and Mathias left him to his sleep.

Mathias took his shower, wrapped a towel around his waist, and stepped out of the bathroom only to bump into Emil, who stood in the hallway, dressed for school, strapping black rubber sandals onto his feet. "Good morning," Mathias greeted.

"You too," returned Emil, "nice skirt."

"Nice sandals," Mathias retorted, "where are you going?"

"School, of course," Emil replied flatly. "It's Tuesday. Can you make Lukas some coffee? He's completely useless until he's had any and I'm not dragging his lifeless corpse around." Emil waved over his shoulder and was off to school before Mathias could get another word in. Mathias shrugged the kid's bluntness off and turned back into Lukas's bedroom to get some pants.

That was when he realized he didn't have extra underwear. Lukas's hips were noticeably smaller than his; simply taking one look at Lukas's discarded briefs on the floor versus his own spacious boxers (he liked his freedom) was cause for alarm. Lukas was still sleeping, sprawled out to take up most of the queen-sized bed, sheets tangled around his waist. "Luke, I don't have underwear," he whispered.

"Wear your old ones," grumbled Lukas.

"They're real dirty. Can you buy me some new ones at the convenience store?"

"Fuck you. Lemme sleep."

"I'll make you coffee," pleaded Mathias.

"Make me coffee and we'll talk."

"You're the best, Luke." Mathias leaned down and nuzzled his lover's neck. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Cream, one spoon of sugar. Beans are next to the machine."

Mathias smiled, hitching his towel around his waist. "One coffee, cream, one spoon of sugar, coming right up." He left Lukas too his morning snooze. It was no loss, he was in the mood for a cup of coffee himself. He poured the beans into the machine, added the filter, and watched the beans percolate and the coffee brew. Two cups. Just cream, no sugar for himself, and cream and one spoon of sugar for Lukas. By the time he returned with the coffee, Lukas was sitting up in his bed expectantly, aroused by the smell of coffee circulating through the house. Mathias handed him his cup and sat on the edge of the bed, the sheets sinking under his weight.

"You make good coffee," Lukas said suddenly.

"I do?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how, but I like when you make me coffee." He took another sip.

"Oh, like that time you came over to my place?"

Lukas bristled. "Let's... Not talk about that," he mumbled into his coffee cup, "not my proudest moment."

Mathias leaned over and gave Lukas's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "There was a secret ingredient both times I made you coffee," he said, a glint in his cerulean eyes.

"Oh, really? What would that be?" challenged Lukas.

"Love!"

Lukas almost did a spit-take, but instead forced the mouthful of coffee down his throat with a cough. "Are you serious?" he answered hoarsely, eyes set in an annoyed glare, "You..." he sputtered, "...big cheese."

When Mathias's only answer was the same dumb smile still plastered on his face, Lukas finished the rest of his coffee, leaned forward, and pressed his lips to Mathias's, leaving the taste of sugared coffee on his tongue.

"I love you, too. Now let me shower so I can go get you some underwear."

**XxX**

While Lukas was gone, Mathias took the opportunity to change the sheets and air out Lukas's room. Lukas's bed was bare now, but Mathias could just ask him where his spare set of sheets was when he came back. The most important part was getting the remains of the overpowering scent of sex in the room out. He sprayed freshener into the air. He opened the window, and stopped to look outside.

It was a nice day, sunny, warm, and spring-like, but the scenery made it almost perfect. There were large, ornate houses everywhere, surrounded by flowering trees and slender iron fences. He sighed, taking in the pleasant air–Lukas's neighborhood was so much different from his. It was a kind of nice change from the dingy apartment he lived in.

It only took Lukas a few minutes to drive down, pick out a wrapped package of boxers in Mathias's size, and come back, but apparently, in those few minutes, Mathias had figured out how to open his window and was now propped up against the sill, sighing at the scenery as naked as the day he was born. He almost laughed out loud; even with the sappy expression on his face and his hair starting to frizz from not being dried properly, Mathias somehow still looked cool.

_Maybe that's just one of the things about being in love,_ he thought as he waved to Mathias and went inside.

**XxX**

Soon, Mathias was all dressed, and after breakfast, they hopped into Lukas's car and drove off.

The _Playgay_ studio was deeper in the city than Mathias would have liked. Lukas lived in one of the richest neighborhoods of South Berlin, while Mathias lived in one of the not-quite-as-rich ones. _Image_ was located in the south of the east central district, but _Playgay_ was in the heart of Berlin, the emerging city center. For both men, it was a bit of a commute, made even worse by the traffic they encountered. By the end, they were tired, hungry, hot from being in the car, and cranky. Thankfully, Mathias knew better than to provoke Lukas when he was cranky. They walked into the building, stopping at a water fountain to cool their faces off, and found the office.

Immediately they were greeted by a pretty woman, definitely a couple years older than them, with porcelain-like skin and mousy hair cascading down her shoulders and back, in which she wore orange flowers most likely plucked from one of the bushes outside. "Hello, can I help you two?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes. I'm Lukas Bondevik, and I was supposed to meet Mr. Kiku Honda here," said Lukas.

"Oh, you're the new model! One minute, he'll be out shortly." She pressed a few buttons on her phone, and soon, he burst into the office through a single wooden door in the back.

He was a small Asian man, shorter than both Lukas and Mathias, probably around Tino's height, thought Lukas. His hair and eyes were both dark and shiny, and he gave off an aura of demure frailty, but the way he moved under his dark blue suit had a power behind it, almost lethal. "Elizaveta, did you call me?" he called upon entrance.

"Mr. Bondevik is here," she replied.

His face lit up upon seeing Mathias and Lukas standing in the doorway. "Bondevik, I didn't know you were bringing a friend! Why didn't you tell me?" Kiku exclaimed excitedly, giving Mathias a once-over. Mathias shuddered; he felt like he had been covered in currywurst sauce and thrown into a cage with hungry lions.

"This is my... Friend, Mathias," said Lukas, "we're both from the same modeling company. He was considering getting a job here as well."

"Pleasure to meet you," Mathias held out a hand for him to shake. Kiku pulled on a latex glove then proceeded to shake the offered hand, and he led them into his personal office, motioning for them to sit in the two chairs in front of his desk.

Though this was solely supposed to be Lukas's interview, Kiku interrogated Mathias as well. They answered whatever questions Kiku shot at them, Lukas with a polite smile and finesse, Mathias with a broad grin and enthusiasm. It lasted for maybe half an hour before Kiku rose from his seat with a smile on his face, pulled on another latex glove, and held out his hands for both Lukas and Mathias to shake.

"Both of you are hired!"

**XxX**

Their first "assignment," as Kiku liked to call it, was to meet some of the other models and explore the office. Lukas amusedly thought of it as the beginning of one of Emil's adventure video games and dubbed it their "first quest of the new realm," which left Mathias in stitches.

The _Playgay_ headquarters was actually much smaller than _Image_'s, only taking up one floor as opposed to _Image_'s two and a half. Part of that was because there was no actual stage for photography; rather, a rickety one had been set up in an empty room with cameras on tripods and white and black sheets as a background. Next door to one side was a computer lab, and to the other side was a dressing room with various questionable clothing, a sink, and a vanity covered with different types of makeup.

Mathias sifted through the rack of questionable clothing and held up a pastel pink nurse's outfit with a skirt so short, it was illegal. "Luke, you sure you wanna do this?"

"It's not like I haven't compromised my dignity before," replied Lukas nonchalantly, holding an outfit that was barely more than strings tied together in front of himself and checking himself out in the vanity mirror. "It's like modeling underwear. Except there's less underwear."

"You've modeled underwear before? I have got to hear about this."

Before Lukas could say anything, a loud laugh sounded from out of nowhere. Lukas looked at Mathias, expecting him to have caused the sudden noise, yet the taller blonde looked just as surprised as he was.

They looked around. The source of the laughter was sitting on the limited floor space between one of the other clothing racks and the sink, still chortling. His knees were pulled to his chest to make room for another, who stared up at Mathias and Lukas, sheepishness in his dark brown eyes.

"That's one way to describe this job," the laughing man snickered, getting up. He was tall, well-built, and obviously Asian, evidenced by his flyaway chestnut hair and almond-shaped eyes. His friend got up as well: shorter, Asian as well, with long dark hair tied into a ponytail above the nape of his neck.

The taller man pointed at Lukas. "Are you the newbie Kiku was going on about yesterday?"

"I guess I am," said Lukas, "and you would be...?"

"Yong Soo Im. _Playgay _beauty extraordinaire." He extended his hand. Lukas shook it.

"'Beauty extraordinaire?'" the shorter man spat, tossing his ponytail over his shoulder, "Please, if anyone's the beauty here, it's Matthew Williams." He looked at the two newcomers. "I'm Yao Wang, by the way. Pleased to meet you."

"You as well," Lukas replied politely, "I'm Lukas Bondevik and this is Mathias Køhler. We were just hired today as models for this magazine."

Mathias let his arm slip around Lukas's waist. "We're lovers," he proclaimed proudly, nuzzling Lukas's cheek.

Lukas shrugged and gently pushed Mathias away. _Not in public,_ he mouthed.

The other two fell silent, eyes wide and mouths gaping.

"If you guys have a problem with this," Mathias grit his teeth, rage twisting his features.

"It's not that, Mr. Køhler," Yao said, "It's just–"

"You guys are boyfriends?" Yong Soo interrupted, shocked, "Kiku's gonna have a field day with you guys!"

Yao clapped a hand over Yong Soo's mouth, silencing his muffled mumbles with a vicious glare. Lukas and Mathias looked at each other, then at the scene unfolding in front of them, then at each other again before Mathias piped up, "And this is a problem... how?"

"Just... There's been nasty rumors flying around about the last couple that thought it was a good idea to work here," Yao said darkly, "generally, if you're in a relationship, you might want to keep it on the down-low, especially around Kiku."

"That, and if you have dirty hands," laughed Yong Soo, peeling Yao's hands from his face, "he's the biggest germaphobe I know."

"He's the _only_ germaphobe you know," Yao shot back, "at least he knows how to keep this place clean!"

As Yao and Yong Soo bickered, all Lukas and Mathias could do was stand awkwardly in the room, shooting worried glances at each other and hoping they could just fade into the wallpaper.

_"Kiku's gonna have a field day?" What the hell does that mean?_

_I'm not quite sure, but what about that couple that worked here?_

_ What are we supposed to be doing anyway? _

An unfamiliar, awkward environment. Questions which demanded answers. Mathias twiddled his thumbs behind his back, unsure of what to do. It was Lukas who made the first move.

"Well," said the shorter blonde, "I guess we should get going. There's more of this place to explore!" They politely said their goodbyes to Yong Soo and Yao and left the room.

**XxX**

Mathias and Lukas returned to Kiku's office, who ushered them in again with a smile.

"Thank you for joining us," he said, "we've been... Rather short-staffed recently. Welcome to our family."

"Thank you for accepting us," Lukas replied, "I guess we'll see you on Thursday, then?"

"Yes. Just in time for the May issue. We can do a couple test shoots and see how it goes."

Lukas smiled politely. "That's good. See you Thursday." He turned to leave the room without beckoning for Mathias to follow. Mathias said a quick goodbye to Kiku and hastily followed Lukas out of the room.

Such an uncharacteristic display of non-affection by his new boyfriend would have immediately put Mathias off, but, recalling Yong Soo's words, "_Kiku's gonna have a field day,"_ he saw the reason behind it and did not touch Lukas again until they were out of the building and back in his car.

**XxX**

Lukas dropped Mathias off at his apartment later that afternoon.

"Thanks for the ride," said Mathias, leaning down for a kiss, "and the underwear. I'll see you tomorrow at work?"

"Mm. You too."

The old grandfather clock in the lobby chimed six times. Mathias and Lukas stood there, listening to the quiet "bong"s filling the air.

"You handled that well," Mathias said, admiration tinging his voice, "I would have lost it and started flipping out in the middle of the studio."

Lukas smiled. "Well, you didn't, so that's good." He felt a small bit of pride over Mathias's self-restraint well up in him.

Mathias squeezed his hands. "You're much... Warmer, nowadays," he mumbled idly.

"What do you mean?"

_Shit, did I really say that out loud?_ Mathias panicked, searching Lukas's face for any hint of the characteristic annoyance and anger he would express after hearing Mathais say something weird, but there was none, simply a look of calm intrigue. That was a good sign. Mathias sighed, preparing his answer, "Well... You used to be frigid. Kinda sharp, like ice."

"Ice, really?" Lukas raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Mathias nodded. "But warm ice?" he offered, "like... You have a campfire, and then there's a thick coating of ice over it, and..."

Lukas interrupted him by pinching his cheeks between his fingers and stretching them out. "Rationalize it with any strange and obtuse metaphor you wish," he said, "but I have a certain hot-blooded dummy to blame for this." He released his hold on Mathias's face, following up with a kiss to each cheek, then turned to leave.

"See you tomorrow, you hot-blooded dummy," Lukas smirked over his shoulder.

Mathias watched him go, bewildered, a warm feeling tingling in his chest and across his cheeks.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This took for-freaking-ever, but I'm glad I was able to get it uploaded!<br>Enjoy, everyone! 3**


	13. Chapter 13: Whoops

**13 - Whoops.**

Life settled into a sort of rhythm after that.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, Lukas and Mathias would spend their time at _Image_ as respectable models promoting fashions and posing in photographs.

Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings, they would drive into the center of the city and those respectable fashion models became two-dimensional lovers whose bodies were printed on next month's issue of _Playgay_, shrink-wrapped sluts with no purpose other than to make some lonely woman (or man) happy for an hour from afar.

It was a rhythm, like the beating of a heart or the rushing of a waterfall, which they fell into together.

A couple months ago, Lukas would have never expected to even think this, but now, he was utterly thankful that Mathias worked with him at _Playgay._ Yong Soo, Yao, and a couple other models they worked with, Matthew, a quiet and sweet Canadian boy who lacked presence, and Roderich, who put on airs of superiority and carried himself as if he were more dignified than the rest of them, were good people and, for the most part, fun to work and hang out with, but the _Playgay_ studio was just so different than what he was used to at _Image_ that having Mathias there gave him something of familiarity to keep him sane. Even though he knew he was beyond professional level as a model, he couldn't help but feel unease and embarrassment every time he donned a sexy outfit or spread his legs for the camera. He had no qualms with getting naked in front of Mathias or nearly-naked for an artistic shot back at _Image_, but this new gig was just... Indescribable.

Mathias seemed in his element, though. Naturally loud, boisterous, and a showoff, he lavished attention on the camera, upping his performance with winks and cocky smiles. By July, he had replaced Yong Soo as _Playgay_'s poster boy. In fact, he and Lukas were supposed to do the July cover together. It was awkward for Lukas, passing by a newsstand on one of his days off and seeing his or Mathias's face on the glossy cover, smirking at him from behind the shrinkwrap. To everyone else, Mathias was just a handsome face, a sex symbol to be placed in their fantasies, but to Lukas, he was reality. A beautiful reality which the camera failed to capture.

It was a small consolation, really. Mathias was all his, no matter how many two-dimensional copies of him managed to seduce people.

Yes, life had settled into a sort of rhythm, like the beating of a heart or the rushing of a waterfall, but a palpitating heart or a dried-up waterfall. It worked, but something was just...

Off.

**XxX**

That July was one of the hottest on record. The sky above Berlin seemed to fall in slow-motion, and the towering city buildings waved like a heat mirage. Thank goodness _Image_'s studio was air-conditioned.

It was Friday morning. Mathias lounged in the back room with Berwald and Tino, sprawled out on one of the couches, basking in the rushing A/C as they waited for their assignments. Berwald was supposed to work with Francis to model a series of new designer eyeglasses, Mathias's body was being put to work to model swim trunks, and Tino and Lukas were going to be participating in an artistic shoot by some little-known photographer, but Lukas wasn't in yet. Tino flipped through his cell phone, trying to reach Lukas in some way or another, but all for naught.

"Lukas hasn't answered any of my calls, Mathias! I thought he was free on Tuesdays and Thursdays but when I tried calling him, Emil picked up and said he was at 'work.' Working? At nine PM on a Thursday night? I don't think so!" Tino stamped his foot for emphasis.

"Remind me, why were you calling him at nine PM on a Thursday night?" Mathias asked flatly.

Tino smiled. "Gelato, of course!"

"It's his weakness," Berwald added.

"We called you too, but you didn't pick up."

"I think I had a... Visit... With my mother," Mathias lied, glancing shiftily at the clock on the wall, "So I'm not quite sure what he was doing on Thursday, I don't live with him or anything like that..."

"Are you sure? Most days, you guys seem to leave toge–"

"What Tino means t' say," Berwald interrupted, silencing Tino with a gentle hand placed over his mouth, "is tha' he's worried 'bout Luke's safety, as a friend, is all." He relinquished his hold over Tino's blabbermouth and stopped him from saying anything further with a look over the rims of his glasses.

"Er... Yeah. I'm kind of worried he hates me, too," Tino added sheepishly.

Mathias nodded. He knew exactly what Tino meant. Only recently had Tino been offered a contract from a big-name international modeling company, which Lukas had been vying for his whole career. "I thought you guys got that cleared up?" he asked.

Tino shook his head. "Not officially," he admitted, "we've been talking since then, but it hasn't been the same. I thought we could get back together over gelato."

Mathias racked his brain. _I don't think we've told them about our other job yet, _he thought, _maybe it might be time..._

Just as he opened his mouth, Lukas walked into the room and any idea of talking about his other job was interrupted by Tino jumping off the sofa, marching over to him, and demanding, "Where have you been? I tried calling you, but you didn't pick up."

Lukas scratched his cheek absentmindedly. "Overslept," he said, glancing away, "I was... Visiting my mother... Last night. And I left my cell at home."

"Quite a coincid'nce," Berwald piped up, "M'thias was just tellin' us about how he went t' visit with his mother as well."

Berwald's stoic nature made it hard to tell whether he was suspicious or not, but Lukas and Mathias still shot worried glances at each other. The truth was, the night before, they had stayed late at _Playgay_ admiring the July issue with their fellow models. It was supposed to hit newsstands that day.

Tino sighed. "Well," he said, "it's about time for Luke and I to get going, we'll see you later." He and Lukas left the room, leaving Berwald and Mathias sitting across from each other.

"You two are lyin'," Berwald commented.

Mathias tensed. "How so?" he asked, forcing himself to smile.

"By any chance, do y' have another job?"

"No, why, is it not allowed or something?" he asked. Berwald's glare made his skin crawl and blood boil; he had no idea how in the world Tino put up with him.

The glare relaxed and Berwald stood up. "No, just wonderin'. Should get goin' now. Seeya lat'r."

"You too."

Mathias waited until Berwald was out of the room and his footsteps had completely disappeared down the hall before going out to meet his photographer as well.

**XxX**

The photographer Lukas and Tino were supposed to meet with was simply awful. He had no sense of direction or composition and chose awful, uncomfortable poses for them to be in. He seemed more like an artist in possessions than skill, and impossibly dark sunglasses prevented them from meeting his eyes, rendering him unapproachable. Upon previewing some of the photos on his expensive digital camera, Lukas and Tino unanimously decided that they just wanted the shoot to be over.

When it finally was, it was a little past noon and their stomachs were definitely growling.

"We have a bit of a break," Tino suggested, "want to see if we can find Ber and Mat and get lunch?"

"And by chance, we happen to be here!"

Tino and Lukas turned to see Mathias, Berwald, and Francis come up behind them. "How did your shoot go?" asked Francis, "I heard that you two got the weird photographer with the sunglasses."

Lukas nodded. "Yeah. He's not very good."

"_Oui, je sais,_" replied Francis, "He asked to take some pictures of me a couple years ago... Tell me, is he still as amateurish as before?"

"If by 'amateurish', you mean 'doesn't know a damn thing about photography and very annoying to be around', then yes," said Tino, "I would say amateurish."

Francis sighed, grimacing. "Too bad all he is is a bad photographer and an annoying person," he chuckled, "then maybe, we could get Ludwig to blacklist him."

Lukas smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. I hope he doesn't come by again."

They shared a laugh, then Francis looked at his watch and exclaimed, "Oh, _mon dieu_, I'm late for a lunch date. I'll have to leave you four alone, _desolé!_ _A tout à l'heure!_" The flamboyant Frenchman rushed off, waving goodbye.

"Well, how about lunch?" Tino piped up, looking at Lukas, Berwald, and Mathias expectantly, "I know a café we could go to, the food is really great!"

"I'm starving, sounds good!" Mathias agreed, already beginning to rush off with Tino. Lukas and Berwald looked at each other and sighed exasperatedly–keeping up with their energetic lovers was like herding cats–and paced after them.

**XxX**

Lukas, Mathias, Berwald, and Tino walked down the sunny streets, Tino leading the way towards the café he had in mind. "It's just a little further," he said, "give it a few blocks."

They were about a block away from _Image_ when Mathias and Lukas spotted the first newsstand.

_The new issue!_

_The special one with me and Lukas on the cover!_

_It's supposed to come out today!_

Mathias looked around at his comrades. Lukas had the same realization he did, and looked back at him, dark eyes flickering worry. Berwald was focused straight forward, and Tino looked around all over, taking in the sights of Berlin and looking for where he had to lead the others next. His wandering eyes caught sight of Mathias.

"Hey, what's wrong with your face?" Tino asked him. His question was obviously innocuous, but Mathias winced when he added, "You look constipated."

Mathias could feel himself breaking out into a cold sweat. He began to walk sideways, hoping his broad back could conceal the hot pink cover proudly on display and all the dirty secrets it would reveal as they passed the newsstand.

"Why're ya walkin' like that?" Berwald asked, a groomed eyebrow arched in suspicion.

Mathias laughed nervously. "It's like what Tino said! I'm... Er, constipated! A-ha-ha-ha!"

Lukas elbowed Mathias in the stomach. _Too suspicious_, he mouthed. Mathias relaxed as they left the newsstand behind them.

**XxX**

Lukas's sharp eyes spotted the next one a block before it came. While Mathias resorted to walking sideways again in hopes that he would block their view of any magazines with eye-searingly pink covers, Lukas distracted Berwald and Tino by talking.

"So, um, I heard you guys went to Normandy over your last vacation, right? I went there on a school trip. It was great! We visited the beaches and the bunkers, and Bayeux is a really nice town, too! What do you guys think?" He noticed his voice getting steadily louder the closer they got.

Berwald nodded. "'T was nice. Got to go walkin' on th' beach. Bit cold, though. Why d'you ask?"

Lukas let out a choked laugh. "No reason! None at all!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mathias walking sideways, crowding Berwald and Tino, somewhat hiding the news kiosk from their view.

_That was probably the most I've talked in my entire life,_ Lukas thought, letting out a sigh of relief. The newsstand was far behind them now, and the café Tino had in mind was coming up, no outdoor news kiosks in sight. It looked like they would make it, until Tino stopped them in front of a small store half a block from their quarry.

"Ah, I just remembered," he said, "there's something I need to get here. Mind if I go in for a bit?"

"No, not at all!" grinned Mathias, "Take your time!"

"Thanks!"

His grin faded when his eyes trailed up to the sign on the store.

_Zeitungkiosk._

It was an indoor newsstand.

As soon as he registered this, there was a loud yelp from inside. Berwald, Lukas, and Mathias charged inside.

"Tino, are y' okay?" Berwald asked.

The sight awaiting them was like a gunshot to Mathias's and Lukas's chests. Tucked under one arm was some scientific journal, probably something Tino liked, but that was not their concern. The real problem was the shrink-wrapped magazine he held at arm's length, staring in wide-eyed terror at it as if it were a cobra poised to strike. There was no mistaking that bright pink cover and the man on it. Tino slowly raised his head, looking directly at Mathias and Lukas. "This isn't... No, it can't be..." he mumbled, "I can't believe it... This isn't you on the cover, is it?"

Berwald peeked over Tino's shoulder at the magazine, then recoiled to stare Mathias in the face, his glare infinitely more intense than anything Mathias had seen before.

"You guys are porn stars?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Holy cow I didn't know I could cliffhangers.<br>Anyway, thanks, everyone, for all the positive feedback! Haha, it's 1:11 AM where I am right now. Good night~**


	14. Chapter 14: Secrets Revealed

**14 - Secrets Revealed**

"No wonder you guys were acting all weird," Tino huffed, "I'm not sure I've ever heard Lukas talk that much." He took another look at the magazine and then at the two of them, hurt. "Why didn't you tell us before?" he asked, "We are your friends, you know."

Mathias was dumbstruck. "You mean, you're not flipping shit at the fact that we're porn stars?"

"Of course I'm flipping shit!" Tino snapped, "my best friends' dicks are plastered all over this rag for the world to see! Oh man, oh man... This is so crazy, I can't believe that I _know_ porn stars, and... Oh my God!"

While Tino continued his freak-out, pacing small circles holding the magazine in his hands, Berwald took over. "Why wouldn't y' tell us?" he repeated Tino's question, "Tino's right. We are friends. If som'thing's goin' on, you can tell us." He caught Tino's arm and calmed him down, but Tino wouldn't stop looking at them with that hurt expression on his face. Lukas felt a twinge of guilt hit the pit of his stomach; Tino's face reminded him of Mathias's expression when Lukas pinched him.

"Lukas, is this about your dream...?" Tino asked timidly.

Lukas looked down at his feet, up at the ceiling, anywhere but Tino's large violet eyes which seemed to bore right through his skull. Mathias bit his lip, trying to hold his own against Berwald's concerned stare.

"Tell us, please..."

Hidden from the rest of the world by the shadows of the looming magazine racks, Lukas regarded his companions. Tino, whom he had known since his early days as a rookie model and was not only his best friend, but his mentor as well. Berwald, tall, stoic, steadfast as a boulder and an incredibly loyal friend. Mathias, his partner-in-crime, the one whom he inexplicably loved, who followed him unwaveringly into this seedy job, and being as equally judged as Lukas was. His glance met Mathias's, who took his hand, and they both knew Tino was right.

Lukas swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing heavily against his narrow throat. He opened his mouth to say something when Mathias squeezed his hand and with a sheepish grin, said, "Guess our secret's been revealed, eh, Lukas?"

"I guess it has," Lukas sighed, "This isn't the best place to talk about it, and I'm hungry. Let's get food."

Shrugging, Tino replied, "Okay, but you're going to have to tell us when we get back. I'm not letting this slide." He shot another glare at Lukas and Mathias before his expression softened. "Let me get this stuff paid for and we'll go."

**XxX**

Lunch was great. The café that Tino introduced to them had excellent food. Lukas, Tino, Berwald, and Mathias talked like normal, their earlier dispute seemingly forgotten, to Lukas's and Mathias's relief. Hopefully, the good food had taken their "side job" off everyone's minds.

The four of them walked back to _Image_ with half an hour to spare before anyone had to go off and do anything again. As per habit, they made their way to the dressing room behind the photography studio and snuggled down into the squishy chairs.

"Mmm. Food." Satisfied, Mathias flopped down, spreading himself out to take up the entire couch. Tino and Berwald took the individual armchairs across the room. Lukas, left without a place to sit, shrugged and plopped down on Mathias's midsection, eliciting a loud cry.

"Fuck, bony butt! Bony butt! Get off of me!"

"I do _not_ have a bony butt," Lukas scoffed, "you just have a weak stomach. Now move."

Begrudgingly, Mathias shifted his limbs so Lukas could sit down. When everyone was all settled in their chairs, an awkward silence settled over them. There was still some tension in the air from earlier. Somebody had to say something, but nobody wanted to.

It was Tino who finally spoke up. "So," he exhaled, "wasn't there something you two were going to tell us?"

Mathias bit his lip. Lukas looked away.

"Bein' a porn star isn't that shameful," Berwald said, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. When no one replied, he planted his head on his hands and stayed silent, dejected.

"I don't necessarily approve," sighed Tino, "but, if that's what you want, do what you will, and if anything goes wrong," his exasperated look faded into a cheeky grin, "give me a call and I will smack a bitch."

"You guys don't hate us or anything like that?" asked Mathias, startled.

"We betrayed your trust, and you guys called us friends," said Lukas.

Tino blushed, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "Well, I admit, we, uh... We overreacted a bit, didn't we, Berwald?"

"'T was just you, not me, luv."

Tino shot his boyfriend an annoyed glance before continuing, "Lukas, you're my best friend, and Mathias, you are too, and whatever happens, the four of us are in this together. I mean... Yeah, you guys did lie to us and keep secrets, but it wasn't really anything big anyway, so..." his voice trailed off, "We forgive you."

"'S what friends do," Berwald added.

"Can I ask just one thing, though?" Tino asked.

"Sure, what?"

"Why are you guys porn stars? I'm just curious."

_Ugh, Tino, don't say "porn stars," _Lukas chided mentally. "Tino, you already know why. Just seeing if there's another way I can augment my modeling career. As for Mathias, he followed me."

Tino nodded. Lukas could tell that he didn't think it was such an interesting reason but accepted it all the way. "I understand," he said, leaning back.

"I guess that's it, then," Berwald added with a faint smile, an upward twitch of his thin lips. "Y' two are porn stars, an' we're all still friends."

_Not you too, Ber,_ Lukas thought with a roll of the eyes.

Sighs and blank stares filled the air, nobody knowing what to say without sounding insensitive. Naturally, it was up to Mathias to break the silence. "So," he began, "I suggest that we fill up this awkward post-bonding silence with food digestion and modeling small talk. What's everyone doing today?"

"I concur," Tino replied, "I've got a photo book coming out so I'm doing some shoots for that this afternoon."

"I'm picking up some photos and going home," Mathias said, sitting up and stretching. "I'm wiped. What about you guys?"

Lukas shifted, leaning on Mathias's shoulder. "More work," he said, "I think I'm going to be with another artist for the next few hours."

"Boy, aren't you popular?" joked Tino. He glanced at the clock. "Oop, I need to go, I'll see everyone later." Hastily he bid goodbye to his friends and left, and one-by-one, everyone else retired to do their own things and finish up the day, all problems seemingly gone.

Except for one. Lukas remained behind, sitting alone in the dressing room. Tino had forgiven him, yes, but it seemed hollow. He still had no clue whether Tino had gotten over the "incident" or not, and he couldn't tell.

He remembered back to the days when he was a rookie, stiff, awful, and an overall... Shitty model. Tino was his mentor. He was one of the most pushy, annoyingly enthusiastic people he'd ever chanced to know. Even now, he was still pushy and annoyingly enthusiastic, but Lukas owed all his success to him.

And when he thought about how Tino had put his faith and strength into his failure of a self, Lukas knew that he owed so much more. He needed to make up with Tino and dispel the fog around them once and for all. Slowly, he drew his cell phone out from his pocket and dialed Tino's number. It went straight to voice mail, of course–Tino had probably already started getting ready to shoot–but he left a message anyway.

"Erm... Tino, it's Lukas, want to get some coffee after work? Meet me by the front door at 17:00. See you then."

**XxX**

"Tino, I need to talk to you."

They sat across from each other at a small table in the corner of the café Lukas frequented after work, waiting for the beverages they ordered to come.

"What is it?"

Looking into Tino's eyes, inquisitive and silently imploring him to spill his troubles, Lukas could feel his stomach sink down to the center of the Earth. There was no way he could tell this smiley, happy-go-lucky, unconditionally loyal person that their friendship was on the rocks.

His lips were moving. _No, no, shut up, Lukas!_

"Tino, are we..."

_Shut up, you stupid idiot!_

"Still friends...?"

Tino looked hurt.

_Lukas Eirik Lund Bondevik, you are a moron, you know that?_

"I never thought of us as less than friends," he said quietly, "you were always my best friend... How could you think something like that?"

The waiter came, placing two cups in front of them. Steam swirled upwards from the cups. Lukas watched it dance in graceful patterns in front of his face, stirring his spoon into the darkness. "Aren't you going to drink?" he asked warily, eyeing the untouched cup of coffee sitting before Tino. He hadn't even noticed it was there.

Tino glanced at the cup, waving away wisps of vapor that had floated from the beverage. "Not until you realize that this is all in your head," he replied, violet eyes locked with Lukas's own indigo ones. "Lukas, ever since you started out, I've been glued at the hip to you, sometimes even literally."

Lukas coughed. "I wish you wouldn't bring that up. That was the worst party ever."

"Anyway," continued Tino, "in all those years, you've annoyed me, you've caused me to lose hope sometimes, you've made me go crazy, and you're making me go crazy now, but I've never hated you. I can't hate you. I watched you go from a bitchy young adult to who you are now, and I assume that I've held my fair share in driving you over the edge and growing up, too. I can't hate you, Luke." His eyes glassed over and he gulped. "I would even dare to say... That I consider you my own brother." When he looked back at Lukas, tears pearled around the corners of his eyes and his lower lip was trembling. Then he pulled away, dragging his sleeve across his face to wipe away his emotions. "Fuck..."

Lukas a tear trickle down his cheek, followed by another and another. He had no clue that Tino felt this way. _Like a brother? I had no clue... I thought we were just friends from work... Former mentor and student._ He watched Tino hide behind his sandy bangs and sip slowly from his coffee cup, hiccuping softly. Tino was always a little too honest. Even though he was about as emotional as the average person, he had a habit of openly displaying his emotions on his face, completely opposite of Lukas and his biting stoicism. There was no explanation as to why they were so close, or why Lukas wanted to reach out and simply cry on this person's shoulder. Friendship, definitely. Brotherhood... Tino's mention of that word brought around memories of Emil. They supported each other without their parents. They annoyed each other to no end. Brotherhood... Even though Tino and Lukas were definitely not related, Lukas could easily see themselves as brothers, supporting and annoying and again supporting each other as he and Emil did.

Friendship, definitely.

Brotherhood, definitely.

"Tino," Lukas choked out, "I'm sorry. I was an idiot. Everything is my fault, I shouldn't have lied to you or not talked to you or doubted our friendship even for one second."

Through teary eyes, Tino smiled back at him. "We forgive each other. Berwald said it best: 'It's what friends do.'"

And through his own tears, Lukas returned the smile.

"We're brothers too, remember?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: WHOMG AN UPDATE WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?<br>Just goes to show that I'm actually still working on this, ha.  
>This was a hard chapter to write. I think Finland would probably be the best friend anyone could wish for. Lukas is a lucky guy.<br>Not as much focus on Mathias in this chapter, IMO... ;_; Or Berwald. Poor guys. **  
><strong>Anyway, let's hope I get the next chapter up sooner than this one! WOOO<br>Even though the Chem SAT is next weekend and oops, I don't think I've studied anything beyond chapter 2 in my book.**


	15. Chapter 15: Relocation

**Oops I wrote smut.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>15 - Relocation<strong>

Mathias closed his apartment door behind him and sighed. The drama at work was over. To be honest, he really was not prepared for that, but between him and Lukas, they handled it quite well, he thought. Extra copies of photos from the shoot he took that morning were tucked in a manila envelope under his arm, given to him for his perusal.

He tossed his jacket on the couch. There was a strange smell lingering in the air as he wandered through his quarters, but he couldn't quite place it. It was almost familiar, he was sure it had been around for the past two or so weeks, but it was strange and gross and no matter how many times he sprayed his entire apartment with the most fragrant air freshener he could find, the smell would always come back within a couple hours. He had already complained to the landlord, but they couldn't find anything wrong. The smell even drove Berg away, and he was Mathias's number-one house guest.

Mathias grabbed his handy air-freshener spray bottle and wandered through his small apartment, trying to cover the stink. As he wandered through his bathroom, that was when he noticed a crack in the tiled wall next to his shower. _When did this happen?_ he wondered, inspecting the crack. Black spots were already forming on his tile, and he knew better than to touch them. _Mold spores. I knew it._ He spritzed some air freshener on the cracked tile and continued his rounds, or was about to when he slipped on a puddle in front of the shower.

"Fucking hell!" Thankfully, he was able to catch his balance, even as the spray bottle clattered to the floor. _I thought I mopped up this morning, what was that?_ He knelt down to inspect the floor. Water seeped out from under the shower stall. _It's leaking..._

He exhaled, exasperated. That wasn't the first time he had to deal with a leaky shower stall or a moldy bathroom, but it still sucked. He stood up, using the toilet for support, his hand catching on the flush knob. The toilet flushed, but what caught Mathias's eye was the brown discharge the clear water was being replaced with... And it was rising steadily! He grabbed the dirty plunger next to the toilet and managed to make the water stop rising, but it was still a dirty brown and whenever he tried flushing again, the toilet threatened to overflow and had to be quelled with the plunger.

It was gross.

That, on top of the stink, was steadily becoming unbearable. He shut the bathroom door behind him, plopped down on his bed, and pulled out the printed glossies, his spoils of battle at the modeling agency.

Even though he clearly remembered being photographed in front of a white background, the photos had been expertly doctored to look like he was gorgeously relaxing on a beach in Cannes.

He was so gorgeous that he clearly _deserved_ to be on a beach in Cannes, rather in this shitty apartment with mold coming out of the walls and leaky rotting showers.

Counting back on his fingers, he realized that he had been working at _Image_ as a full-fledged paid model for maybe five months, and on top of that, he had his income from _Playgay_ as well...

_Hey, I could move out!_ was the exciting realization.

_I could move into a better apartment, or maybe even a house! Hell, maybe I could even live in Zehlendorf with Lukas! I mean, Zehlendorf is for the rich folk, but.._.

His imagination was starting to run off. Moving out of Neukölln, one of the not-quite-as-rich neighborhoods of South Berlin, meant moving closer to work, moving into a place that didn't stink of rot, and maybe moving closer to Lukas, he hoped. He was on just about the same income as Lukas, and he lived in the rich neighborhood of Zehlendorf, so maybe...

He winced. The smell was back, and much stronger now. It seemed to be coming from nearby. There was a hairline fracture in the dry wall underneath the window. Simply prodding and chipping at it with his nails was enough to open a minute crack wide enough for him to peer into, and right as the last bit of dry wall fell away, the smell of stank and rot hit him like Thor's hammer. Using the light from his cell phone, he peered into the crevice.

Staring back at him were the cold, dead, half-decomposed eyes of a dead opossum.

Mathias leaped back with a strangled yelp, sending his phone skittering across the dingy carpet. There was a dead possum in his wall.

_A dead possum._

_I have to get out of here._ _I don't care where I'm going, as long as it's not here!_ He reached for his cell phone to call his landlord, who called someone else to break down his wall and remove the carcass. He spent the rest of the afternoon, evening, and part of his night scurrying around his apartment, packing his possessions into boxes, calling friends to see if he could live at their places for a while.

Though, despite all the craziness of that afternoon and night, he was happy. He had a job. He had money. He had the best boyfriend in all of the universe. And as of five minutes ago, he would be living with his awesome, über-kind best friend, Berg Huizinga!

**XxX**

Lukas's meeting with Tino had taken an upward turn after that. They talked, laughed, reminisced about good times (like that one particular time they were really "glued at the hip"), all dark uncertainties completely dispelled. As they walked down the road back to their cars, the sun setting at their backs, an idle thought crossed Lukas's mind: _I have everything I could ever want._

Sure, he wasn't an international model, but now, that job could bite his ass for all he cared.

He had his friends–_no, family,_ he corrected–at _Image_, a loving brother, a boyfriend who would walk through the fires of Hell for him, and to make things even better, a stable job, varying degrees of fame, a beautiful house in one of the richest neighborhoods in Berlin, and a pretty nice car.

He shouldn't have been whining or bitching to Tino about anything. In fact, counting his blessings made him realize that he was living a damn good life, international model or not.

_Why did I even want that job, anyway?_ he wondered as he drove home, _Hell, I forget,_ he thought with a laugh.

He turned on the radio and sang out loud as he drove home, and as soon as he opened the door of his beautiful house, he ran upstairs, plucked his loving brother out of his desk chair and gave him the most brotherly, bone-crushing, love-filled hug he had ever mustered.

"I love you too, bro, but..." Emil gasped, "Could you put me down...? I'm reading a book..."

Lukas relinquished his brother, and without another word, traipsed out of the room.

"I wonder what the hell's gotten into him...?" wondered Emil, closing his book.

**XxX**

The next morning, Berg came by Mathias's apartment with his younger sister, Belle, both siblings intending to help Mathias carry his things to Belle's truck, which was parked by the curb outside. Mathias had put in his two week's notice, but refused to live inside that particular apartment any longer, leaving his key on the table along with the address his landlord could send his deposit.

Berg lived in a house closer to where Lukas lived. It was nice and spacious, complete with a guest room where Mathias could stay. Mathias liked it a lot. He spent his day off with Berg, hanging around as best friends do, but there was only one problem.

Berg's house stunk of cigarette smoke. It made sense, because Berg smoked all the time, and Mathias was relatively used to it, but not 24/7. Several times he had to excuse himself for fresh air, as relative as that term was in the city, and several times he wondered whether Berg's lungs were completely made of tar or something. After maybe two or so days, he had to regretfully inform Berg that, while they were and would always be the best of friends, he could not live at his place. Berg smirked. Mathias knew that his friend found his unblemished lungs hilarious and wouldn't stop teasing him as he helped him re-pack and move.

Mathias's next stop? Tino and Berwald's house.

**XxX**

Tino and Berwald lived in Zehlendorf, the same neighborhood which Lukas lived in, also one of the richest neighborhoods in all of South Berlin. This way, he could be close to Lukas and close to work without intruding on his boyfriend, and the best part was, neither Tino nor Berwald smoked, and Berwald always kept their house smelling like fresh flowers. They had even prepared the guest room next to their own bedroom to look like a hotel, with a vase of fresh tulips on his dresser, a neatly-made bed complete with fluffed-up pillows, and a pair of extra slippers, just for him. Mathias felt so grateful he could cry; Tino and Berwald were such sweet people, going the extra mile to welcome him and keep him comfortable! In return, Mathias was to take part in some of the housework and take turns carpooling with Tino and Berwald to work, a perfectly reasonable sacrifice.

There was just one thing about living with Tino and Berwald, though, especially since Mathias's room was adjacent to Tino and Berwald's, which he found out on his second night of staying with them.

They had sex.

A lot.

And they were really, really, loud.

The first night it happened, he found it slightly awkward, listening to the tap-tap-tap of their bed's headboard against the wall, Tino's lusty screams ("Ah! Nngh! Berwaaaahhhld! Right there! Ohhhh... Don't stop, baby!") and Berwald's awkward exertion grunts which to Mathias sounded more like a herd of stampeding buffalo then erotic moans and groans. The next morning, Mathias couldn't even bring himself to look either of them in the face until they were at work.

He tried smushing his head between pillows, hiding under the blankets, even banging on the wall to get them to at least shut up, a little bit. But nope, they would just get loud again. And they had sex so much! Mathias wondered how any living creature could have sex on an almost-daily basis like Tino and Berwald did!

After a week and a half of this insanity, including a terrifying dream involving stampeding buffalo which sounded _exactly_ like Berwald, Mathias decided to move out. He took his things, a confused Tino and Berwald helping him pack and move his stuff. Next stop (and Mathias wondered why the hell he didn't go directly to his house in the first place)? The Bondevik residence!

**XxX**

"So, you're living with me because you found a dead opossum in your apartment, Berg won't stop smoking, and Tino and Berwald won't stop having sex while you try to sleep."

"Mm-hmm."

Lukas placed the last of Mathias's boxes in his living room and admired the pile. They had taken the morning of their Sunday off to move Mathias's stuff to Lukas's house. Being summer, the weather was hot and it was awfully sweaty work. Mathias peeled off his T-shirt to use it as a rag to wipe at his face. Lukas watched him intently, not quite as sweaty, but definitely in appreciation of all those muscles. "So... Do you want your own room, or do you want to sleep with me?"

"That's a no-brainer," Mathias spat, grinning, "you think I'd take sleeping by myself to sleeping with my gorgeous, awesome, sexy, totally-cool-for-letting-me-stay-here, boyfriend?" He pulled Lukas close, running his hands up and down the smaller man's back.

Lukas sighed, but made no move to pull away. He was used to Mathias's cheesiness by now. Instead he snaked his arms around Mathias's torso and settled into the embrace. "You've been sleeping with your 'gorgeous, awesome, sexy, totally cool' boyfriend since we've been going out."

"I know, but I get to wake up every day to your adorable sleeping face and make you coffee." Mathias kissed Lukas's hair.

"...And by sleeping together," said Lukas, "I mean sex."

"Sex and coffee?" laughed Mathias, "Okay, I can do that."

Lukas's hands slowly inched further downwards, creeping down the small of Mathias's back to rest gracefully on his bottom. "How about now?" he asked quietly, a devilish smile playing on his lips as he gave Mathias's behind a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sweaty. Should I take a shower?" asked Mathias.

Lukas shook his head, grabbing the sides of Mathias's face and pulling him down into a kiss. "Absolutely not," he mumbled against the other's lips. "Come to bed."

"I'll race ya," teased Mathias, releasing Lukas and rushing to his room, Lukas hot on his heels. By the time he reached his bedroom, Mathias was already on his bed, kicking his pants and underwear off. Eagerly, Lukas stripped off his own clothes and launched himself at his lover. Mathias caught him with an "oof!" and they tumbled about in the sheets, arms and legs tangling, their laughter as intertwined as their bodies.

Lukas sighed, catching his breath. "I'm surprised you didn't come calling to me first when you needed a place to live," he said.

Mathias wedged a leg between his lover's thighs, peppering kisses on his cheeks, lips, and forehead. "I'd rather be a bother to Berg and Tino and Berwald before I be a bother to you."

"Sweet of you," Lukas mumbled against Mathias's lips, "but stop worrying, and... Nngh!" His sentence was cut off by Mathias's hand appearing between his legs, cupping his flaccid member and working it to hardness.

Mathias smirked. "You're the sweet one. What happened to the frigid little bastard who would rather punch me than kiss me?"

Lukas squirmed against Mathias, pressing into the inviting cup of his palm. "He grew up," his breathy whisper puffed against Mathias's cheeks as his lips drew closer, touching gently, a silent request for a kiss, which Mathias gladly fulfilled.

Slowly, sensually, their lips moved with each other, an intimate slow dance of hot breath and slender fingers curling around the backs of necks slicked with sweat.

Desperate for fresh air, they reluctantly pulled away from each other, instead taking to locking gazes–cerulean and indigo, boring into each other, an unspoken declaration of lust, of attraction, of how much they simply _wanted_ each other right now. Lukas parted his thighs, slinging a leg over Mathias's waist, pressing his hips against his lover's, eyes falling shut as their erections brushed. His leg wrapped even tighter around Mathias, shamelessly begging him for more friction.

Lukas's face was the most intriguing thing to watch as he brazenly pleasured himself against Mathias, those ashen eyelashes fluttering open and shut, deep indigo imploring him to _do something, dammit,_ kiss-reddened lips silently pleading with him in a perfect O. Mathias touched long fingers to those jeweled lips, tracing their shape, prodding at their plumpness, committing every detail to his memory, attractive in the way they closed around his fingertips to hide the soft tongue weaving between them, sucking and licking until Mathias's fingers were dripping wet, at which they pulled from the jeweled redness of Lukas's perfect lips to travel down his back and hips to prod teasingly at his entrance, one finger slipping in easily.

Lukas mewled at the intrusion, spurring Mathias to add another finger. With a cheeky grin pressed to Lukas's forehead and a subtle grind of the hips, he scissored and curled his fingers, drawing tiny noises from his throat. "Stop..." he choked out, "Want more..."

"Say the magic word," Mathias teased, curling his fingers again.

"F... Fuck..."

"That works, too," Mathias pulled his fingers out, giving Lukas another quick, passionate kiss before flipping him over so they were spooning, Lukas's ass pressed right up against Mathias's cock, Mathias's hands roaming their way over the sinewy planes of Lukas's chest and stomach as he thrust in, reveling in the way Lukas tightened around him. Lukas moaned, throwing his leg backwards over Mathias's body to make more room for him.

He was surrounded by Mathias. He was at his back, inside him, dragging broad hands all over Lukas's body, skating around Lukas's dripping cock, which throbbed for just a bit of attention from those magic hands. "Please, M... Mathias," he choked out, taking one of Mathias's hands and hovering it over his erection.

Mathias's hips sped up involuntarily. Lukas begging him in that lewd voice of his was hot beyond belief. Obliging to his lover's desires, he took hold of Lukas's cock, stroking it in time to the rhythm of his hips. "You're so dirty when you beg me like that," he whispered, hot breath ghosting over Lukas's neck, "you must like it when I do this."

"Nngh..."

"Come on, say you like it." He flicked his tongue over the helix of Lukas's ear.

Mathias's dirty words, touches, and the passionate roll of his hips were surely and swiftly bringing Lukas to climax. He turned his head to meet Mathias's eyes. "Ma... Mathias," the quivering of his own voice surprised him, "I li... I like it..." He came into Mathias's hand, covering those long fingers he loved so much with his own essence. He felt the knots in his stomach relaxing, yet Mathias continued to thrust into him fervently, seeking his own release.

_Shit shit shit..._ The way Lukas looked into his eyes as those pretty lips formed those three magic words... _Oh God... _"Lukas," he panted, "Lukas... Lukas... Lukas..." Desperately, he dragged his hands over Lukas's body, lips trembling against his lover's heated skin, trying to memorize every detail of the beautiful man pressed against him before he came.

Too late. He released into his lover with a cry, spending himself completely before he pulled out and wrapped his arms around Lukas's waist.

Lukas turned over to face his lover, draping an arm over Mathias's shoulder. "I love you," he sighed, pressing a kiss to Mathias's lips.

"Mmmhh..." Mathias mumbled appreciatively into the kiss, pulling Lukas even closer to him. "I love you, too," he said drowsily, "I would say something witty but..." he sighed, "my energy's all sapped, thanks to you." He nuzzled Lukas's cheek.

Lukas let his eyes fall shut, a smile forming on his kiss-bruised lips. "You don't need to."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: YEAAAAH I'M NOT DEEEEAD. SAT's are over, there's like a week of school left and then finals, and then I'll be free to sleep until 10AM and write fanfiction until 2AM! *Partyparty*<br>Now that the drama is over, have Mathias doing funny stuff. And sex. Because, IIRC, this is a M-rated humor/romance fic, and Mathias doing funny stuff is one of my favorite things to write.  
>Thanks, everyone, for making this one of the fics I've enjoyed writing the most, because I thrive on your love and I love you all right back!<br>I've also got a half-written SuFin prequel to this gathering dust in my notebook. Expect that to be worked on this summer.**


	16. Chapter 16: Quitting

**16 - Winners Sometimes Quit and Quitters Sometimes Win**

Tuesday morning.

Lukas rose from his sleeping position in the crook of Mathias's arm to the sound of his alarm. It was exactly 8:30. Emil was already at school and he and Mathias had to be at _Playgay _by 10:00.

"Hey, wake up," he shook Mathias gently, "It's morning. I want coffee."

Mathias yawned and rolled over, trapping Lukas under his arm. "Sleepy..." he mumbled.

"It's 8:30. We need to get up for work," said Lukas, pulling away from Mathias and swinging himself out of bed. "Make me coffee."

Mathias simply pulled the sheets over his head in response. "Five more minutes..."

Lukas shrugged and stroked Mathias's bedhead. "If you're late, I'll burn your breakfast."

"Mmm."

Exactly five minutes later, while Lukas was in the kitchen making omelettes, Mathias popped up behind him, wrapping his arms around the smaller man's waist.

"I didn't know you could cook," Mathias said.

Lukas smirked. "I live with a 17-year-old boy, you think he's going to cook for me?"

"Well, it smells great. Can't wait to dig in."

Lukas's lips curled into a small smile. "Grab some plates from the cupboard above the coffee maker for me, okay? And can you make me some coffee?"

"Sure."

Soon, they sat together at the table, munching on their breakfast as the coffee brewed.

"So, what are you doing today?" asked Mathias, mouth full of omelette.

Lukas finished chewing his food and swallowed before replying. "I have a solo shoot," he said, "it's going in next month's issue."

"You nervous?"

Lukas stabbed his fork into his omelette. "Of course I'm not," he huffed indignantly, casting an annoyed glance at his lover, who didn't bat an eye. The coffee machine beeped, signaling that the brewing had finished, and Mathias got up to bring back two piping hot cups of coffee, placing one of them in front of Lukas.

"Drink up, love," he said. Morning Lukas never was a cold-hearted bitch until his first cup of coffee.

Gratitude glittering in his eyes, Lukas blew on the steaming beverage before taking a long, loud sip. "Feeling better?" asked Mathias.

"Maybe."

"That's good enough." Mathias blew a kiss at his lover and finished his breakfast.

**XxX**

"You ready for this?" Mathias gave Lukas a reassuring smile. They stood in the hallway in front of the _Playgay_ complex, on their way to the dressing room.

Lukas took a deep breath, shoulders relaxing. "I'm ready," he grabbed Mathias's hand and pursed his lips slightly, an unspoken request for a kiss which Mathias obliged. It was a simple, chaste brush of the lips to lift Lukas's spirits before his shoot, but the snapping of latex gloves and the delighted shrieking coming from behind them brought a sinking weight to both of their stomachs.

It was Kiku.

He ran up behind them, eyes blazing with unrestrained excitement. "Bondevik-san, Køhler-san, are you lovers?" he asked.

Lukas and Mathias exchanged wary glances. Had Kiku seen them kiss?

"Er..." Before the word "yes" passed his lips, Yong Soo's shocked and scared face floated into his head, mouthing the same words he said to Mathias when they first met, _Kiku's gonna have a field day!_

"Well? Are you?" curiosity-crazed eyes and latex-gloved hands reached out towards them, their owner demanding an answer.

"No, we aren't," tried Lukas.

Kiku's attack didn't waver; "No" was obviously not a satisfactory answer. Although he pulled back, his eyes still held a glint of insatiable curiosity, searching their faces, their bodies, their very countenances for anything that would even barely whisper, "yes."

Mathias and Lukas could feel those hungry eyes drilling into them from behind as they continued on towards the dressing room, afraid to even look at each other lest Kiku once again come out of nowhere and accuse them of being lovers.

They didn't even realize that they had been holding their breaths until the door of the dressing room shut behind them, at which each man let out a hearty scream.

"Relax, it's just me! God, what's wrong with you guys today?"

Yong Soo glared at Mathias and Lukas, his hand still on the doorknob. "Seriously, I've been following you for the past, like, three minutes and you guys didn't notice me," he huffed. His angry look faded upon realizing how shaken Mathias and Lukas were. "Hey, are you two okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"No," replied Lukas, "Kiku found out about us."

Yong Soo fell silent, his terrified brown eyes revealing every worried thought running through his head.

"Yong Soo?"

The Korean man sighed, his shoulders slouching. It was strange seeing the proud porn model, _Playgay_'s former number-one, looking so defeated. "You mind listening to a poor man's sob story?" he asked, lips twisted into a sad smile.

Mathias and Lukas nodded.

Yong Soo closed his eyes, steeling himself. "Back when I was first starting here, I had a boyfriend," he began slowly, "he didn't work here, but the old manager used to let him come and hang around. That was back when Kiku was only a graphic designer here.

"He's a tad messed-up in the head. Overly interested in others' personal relationships. That's why we only have a few models around, everyone else up and left when the old manager quit and Kiku took over.

"Anyway, my boyfriend wasn't really one for PDA, and that was okay, it was a boost of confidence having him around." Yong Soo gave a gentle smile. "I don't know how Kiku found out," he continued, "but he did, and it all blew up around this time last year. We'd barely gotten into the building when Kiku came up at us, begging to change my solo shoot to one with my boyfriend, who wasn't even a model at all. He was a quantum physicist!

"Well," Yong Soo picked at his nails, trying to distract himself from his own memories, "the shoot was pushed through, and the next month, when the issue hit newsstands, my boyfriend's career was pretty much destroyed. He's a model now. Here."

"Who is he?" asked Mathias, "Do we know him?"

Yong Soo stopped picking at his nails, hands falling to his sides. "It's Matthew Williams," he sighed, "And before you ask, we're not going out anymore. Kiku took care of that. He won't even look at me now, and we work together, for cryin' out loud." His eyes screwed shut. "And yet Kiku still asks about us. He won't stop, and now Mattie blames me for everything. It's all Kiku's fault."

Mathias grabbed Lukas's hand protectively.

"Although," continued Yong Soo, "I guess if both of you are already models, it shouldn't be too bad," he flashed a weak smile, attempting to bring up their spirits, and retreated to a corner of the dressing room to absentmindedly flip through outfits. Neither Lukas nor Mathias followed him; it seemed that the man needed some space to be with his thoughts.

**XxX**

It was time for the shoot. With another quick kiss, Lukas bid goodbye to Mathias and made his way out of the dressing room. Mathias watched him go, then plopped himself down on the couch for a nap. He had an interview in a couple hours, he wouldn't be needed until then.

He had barely shut his eyes when his dozing was interrupted with a loud sound; the door being slammed open as Kiku stormed in. "Køhler-san, we need you, right now!"

"What?" Mathias jolted up, "Is it interview time already?"

"Nope," Kiku's lips curled into a hungry grin, "we need you at the shoot."

"Sure..." Mathias rose and followed Kiku out of the room, down the hall, and into the studio. The only other person in it, other than Mathias and Kiku, was Lukas, who lay splayed naked on a faux fur rug. The sight went straight to Mathias's lower regions; Lukas looked delicious.

"So, uh... You need me to help with lights or something?" asked Mathias. Lukas glared at him and Kiku, features hardened and cold as ice.

"Please strip," Kiku asked, although the hardness in his voice commanded more than it did ask.

Mathias had to raise an eyebrow at this. "I'm not scheduled for a shoot today," he said warily.

"You are now. Please strip and join Bondevik-san up on the stage," insisted Kiku, "Last minute change," he added, a pleasant smile forming on his lips.

Mathias slowly reached up to take off his shirt. "Okay, then..."

**XxX**

Lukas watched Mathias warily strip from his vantage point onstage. It was odd; usually Mathias was eager to get in front of the camera and show himself off to the world, but this time, he moved with the speed of a snail. He looked up at Lukas; eyes which were usually as blue as a clear sky were muddled with clouds of doubt, searching for answers from Lukas's stoic face.

"It's all right," he said reassuringly, "we've done shoots together before. It'll be fine."

Mathias's lips pressed into a line and he gave Lukas a smile, doffing the rest of his clothes and climbing onstage to sit next to Lukas. Kiku scrambled behind the camera.

"Wait, where's the regular photographer?" asked Lukas, jolting up from his prone position on the fur rug.

"This isn't a normal shoot," Kiku answered tersely. "Now, I need Køhler-san to sit down on the rug, and Bondevik-san to get on top of him."

Lukas straddled Mathias's waist and leaned down. He put on his best seductive pose for the camera, but from his close-up viewpoint, Mathias could see that his arms shook slightly.

Kiku's mutter of "Good, good..." could be heard as the camera went off.

Lukas relaxed his pose and sat up. "Is that all you need?" he asked.

"No," replied Kiku, rummaging around in his pocket and coming out with a small bottle, which he tossed to the couple onstage. Mathias caught it and turned it over in his hands.

"Is this... Lube?" he asked warily.

"Yes, I need you to use it."

Mathias and Lukas exchanged cautious looks. They obviously enjoyed having sex very much, but doing it while Kiku, of all people, watched and–for chrissakes–photographed it was a little bit too extreme. A little bit _way_ too extreme.

Lukas shook his head, eyes wide and locked with Mathias's. No words had to be spoken; both of them clearly remembered Yong Soo's experience. Could they live a life with the stress of Kiku constantly breathing down their necks, asking for shoots like this? What was he going to use these photos for, anyway?

He decided he didn't want to stick around to find out.

However, it was Mathias who spoke first. "Mr. Honda, we can't do this."

"Why? Aren't you two lovers?" Kiku looked at them with a quizzical expression on his face.

Lukas sat up, holding out his hands. "Yes, but–"

"Then you should be perfectly fine having sex," he interrupted.

"We are, but–"

"Now please do what I instruct."

"This is the first time you've ever instructed us, or anyone, to actually have sex on camera," commented Lukas, his normally stoic features twisting with frustration. "What will you be doing with these photos, anyway?"

Kiku stayed silent, looking shiftily from his camera to his feet. "I, uh... Will be..." He couldn't even finish his own sentence.

"You know what, I quit!" Lukas exclaimed joyfully, a rare smile spreading over his lips. Moving with uncharacteristic excitement, he scrambled around the room, gathering up his clothes. "I don't like being a porn model and I don't like this place and I don't like you!"

Mathias laughed, leaping from the stage and snatching up his clothes as well. "I'm outta here, too," he said, "Send our checks in the mail," he added with a chuckle.

Now fully clothed, Mathias and Lukas dashed out of the shoot room, down the hall, out of the building, and didn't stop until they were locked safely inside Lukas's car. Panting, heaving, and laughing so hard that their sides felt as if they were going to split open, Lukas started the ignition. "Was that a good idea?" Mathias guffawed.

"Are you doubting me, _dear_?" Lukas smirked, drawing out the last word sarcastically.

Mathias laughed and pushed Lukas's shoulder playfully. "That may have been the worst act of dumbassery we've committed. First time I've seen you so excited, too."

Lukas sighed, pulling out of the garage. "I got caught up in the heat of the moment. Don't ever expect anything like that to happen again." As he made his way over the roads, the smirk returned to his lips. "I meant what I said, though."

"Really?"

"Fuck the dream, I'm living the best reality I can."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow Jayy, way to pull a chapter out of your ass in a month. Seriously though, this did take me the LONGEST AMOUNT OF TIME to write and gripe gripe gripe gripe...<br>Proper, though, because all that's coming next is an epilogue. I'll miss this fic, too, but worry not, for I have a SuFin prequel planned and partially written out. Still waiting on my brain to crank out a working title, though. **  
><strong>I love you all, dear readers! Stay tuned for the epilogue!<strong>


	17. Epilogue: Seven Months Later

**7 Months Later - All's Well That Ends Well**

Lukas rolled over, draping his free arm around Mathias's waist. It was good to be alone. He glanced up at the sleeping man besides him, eyes traveling from the relaxed arch of his brows to the faint shadows smoky eyelashes cast on his cheeks to the minute twitch of his nostrils as he breathed in.

Modeling, pff.

No camera would ever be able to catch this side of Mathias. It was for Lukas's eyes only.

The movement woke Mathias up. He smiled sleepily at the man beside him and yawned, "Good morning."

"Morning," Lukas murmured back. His hold on Mathias's waist tightened, pulling himself closer to the man in bed next to him. Mathias simply smiled and reached up to curl his fingers through Lukas's tangled hair, gently tugging out tangles. It had been a good seven months since their tirade at _Playgay_. Admittedly, Mathias probably should have given more thought to their sudden retirement, or stopped Lukas from going ballistic. Thankfully, the only consequences their actions had was a series of angry messages from Kiku and apologetic messages from Yong Soo and Elizaveta, and an extra-thin issue of _Playgay_ gracing newsstands that month. To Lukas's slight delight, once the internet had caught wind of their tirade, his and Mathias's popularity had skyrocketed.

Mathias liked the attention, but there were other things he liked better. He placed a kiss upon Lukas's forehead and moved to get out of bed. "How about I make you some coffee?"

"Be quick," Lukas said, pulling the covers around his chin again. "We have work today."

"Yup."

Mathias left Lukas to doze a little bit more and went to the kitchen to prepare coffee as he did on most days. While it brewed, he went into the pantry and brought out a couple sweet rolls he had bought the day before, and began to set the table.

Indulging Lukas's whims wasn't as bad as it sounded. It had its rewards. He leaned against the kitchen counter, watching the coffee trickle into the glass pot, two mugs waiting at its side. All in all, life was good.

_Cream, one spoon of sugar,_ he muttered. After so many times repeating the morning ritual of making the two of them coffee, he had Lukas's favorites etched into his mind. By the time Lukas dragged himself into the kitchen, Mathias was already sitting at the table, picking at his roll. "Eat up," he said with a smile. Silently, Lukas returned it and sat down.

That got him thinking. Ages ago, he would have done anything, no matter how stupid, to get a smile out of the dour man who he called "coworker." And when that dour man called him stupid or told him to shut up, he almost wanted to give up. He still had no clue whether it was his natural stubbornness or his burning desire to know how Lukas ticked which got him to return his love, so he asked:

"Luke, why do you love me?"

Lukas nearly spit out his coffee. "Is that really a question to ask this early in the morning?"

Mathias shrugged. "Just asking. So, why?"

Lukas sank his teeth into his sweet roll harshly, as if he wished he were biting a certain Dane in front of him. "Do I really need a reason? I love you."

"For loving someone as stupid as me? Yep." Mathias grinned.

Eyes cast upward as if lost in thought, Lukas chewed silently. "I don't know," he finally said, "Maybe it was that night you stayed with me after I fainted, or maybe it was that night I came to you to..."

"Have sex?"

Lukas wrinkled his nose. "That was not my proudest moment."

Mathias reached across the table and wedged his hand underneath Lukas's. It was an unspoken plea for an answer.

"I love you because you're an annoying dickwad who doesn't know the meaning of personal space," Lukas finally said, "and that saved me." He squeezed Mathias's hand.

"Change that to 'former annoying dickwad,'" Mathias chuckled. "You changed me," he admitted, "I think I'm actually less of an annoying dickwad. I hope."

Lukas took another sip of coffee, looked at Mathias, and smiled. "You are," he said.

**XxX**

Autumn had settled over Berlin, bringing with it crisp air interlaced with the smell of fallen leaves. Tino and Lukas sat on the low wall outside the _Image_ building, slowly sipping coffee out of a tumbler Lukas brought and talking quietly to pass time between shoots. There was a certain ennui in the air, wafting around them like the odor of the hot coffee they drank.

Tino sighed, lowering his cup from his lips. "Now that Emil is in college, what are you going to do?"

Lukas smirked. "It's not like he's going far away. He's staying in Berlin, actually. I think he's going to the college you went to."

Tino smiled back. "It's a good college, you should be proud of him."

"It'd make me prouder if he would actually move out of the house," Lukas retorted with a small laugh. Tino gently punched him in the shoulder, chuckling as well.

"How about you?" asked the smaller man, wiping coffee from his lips with the back of his hand. "You haven't mentioned the whole 'international model' thing for a couple months now. What's up with that?"

Lukas shrugged. "Eh... I decided that it wasn't really my thing."

"Are you going to stay here?" asked Tino.

Lukas laughed and threw an arm over Tino's shoulders. "Of course, I can't just up and leave _Image_. But ever since Mathias and I quit _Playgay,_ we've had all this time on our hands, so I'm thinking of becoming a school guidance counselor, too."

"Sounds really good," Tino replied. He smiled again, looking down at his coffee cup. "I'm proud of you, Luke."

"I know. I'm proud of me, too."

They sat like that, the words hanging over them like the steam from their empty cups as Lukas put his tumbler away when suddenly Mathias came up from behind them, clapping his hand on Lukas's and Tino's shoulders and placing a kiss upon Lukas's cheek. "Come on back in, guys. Lunch break's almost over and Ludwig's gonna be looking for ya," he said.

Lukas and Tino nodded and followed Mathias back into the building. With a quick goodbye, Tino scampered off to find Berwald, leaving Mathias and Lukas standing in the hallway.

"So, lover," teased Mathias, "what have you got in store for today?"

Lukas ignored the jibe and answered, "Photoshoot, then classes. I'll be home in time for dinner, though."

"I'll have it prepared," replied the taller blonde. Lukas laced their fingers with a small smile, leaning up to leave a light kiss on Mathias's lips. "You've got a lot on your plate for tonight. You sure you've got this?" Mathias asked, squeezing Lukas's hand in concern.

Lukas simply smirked in reply.

"Of course I am. I'm a top model, after all."

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I just can't... Ohmygoodness... asdfsdfklkjjkdl... It's over, I really can't believe it.<br>Everybody, thank you for your continued support! I really love this story and this AU and I love Denmark and Norway and DenNor and all you amazing people who can make me utter inhuman noises and flail in my chair.  
>You are awesome. Everything is awesome. I feel awesome.<br>Thank you very much for reading!  
><strong>

**With love,  
><strong>

**-Jayy  
><strong>


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